Fall festivals boon for area

opinions

September 17, 2013 - 12:00 AM

Fall festivals didn’t originate in our neck of the woods, but a legion of folks who care enough to give their very best have made local ones top-rung events.
We have three major festivals remaining, starting with Moran Day Saturday. Next up is Humboldt’s storied Biblesta Parade and associated Christian activities Oct. 5. Then, on Oct. 17-19 come Iola’s Farm-City Days.
Last weekend Elsmore Day occupied folks with a hankerin’ for fun in the southeast part of Allen County, while Kincaid’s 103rd annual Free Fair started on Thursday and came to a head with fun, games and a bang-up parade Saturday.
All are models of what should be done to bring a crowd to town, and entertain them once there.
The festivals also are a means of generating money for community projects. That is never more evident than what occurs each year through efforts of the Kincaid Lions Club.
Saturday, while flipping burgers on a sizzling grill inside the new Lions Club pavilion, Bill Johnston recounted just how important the Kincaid Fair is to the community’s well-being.
Johnston said about 2,000 hamburgers and scores of bowls of chili would be made and sold from 800 pounds of ground beef. Accompanying them were golden-brown fries made from a starting hoard of slightly more than 900 pounds of potatoes. And to top off the meal were generous slices of several kinds of pies, homemade by wives of the Lions members.
Previous fundraisers and sponsors paid for the fixings, meaning all money from Lions concession sales went directly to help the community.
Similar fundraising is a part of other fall events.
When the bulk of Farm-City Days activities unfold Oct. 19 in Iola, a multitude of booths will dot the courthouse lawn.
Some will hold arts and crafts, privately made and sold, while food booths will be manned by local groups and organizations using the venue to raise money for all sorts of positive things to help make Iola and the area more hospitable for those who live here and those who visit.
While a small number of people, in relation to all who participate, will be responsible for the fundraising, we all can have a hand in making the future a little brighter. Dig into a walking taco, sink your teeth into a inviting slice of freshly made pie and sip a drink.
While you’re at it, have a good time. That’s at the heart of all the fall festivals.
Also, take time to give those who have put in untold hours to make their event of choice as good as it is a hearty pat on the back.
— Bob Johnson

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