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Editorial: Fall Festival hits the spot
Op-Ed · October 19, 2017


West Branch Community Development Group continues to work hard to get Fall Festival re-established here, and this year’s event felt like a cross between Norman Rockwell’s and Thomas Kinkade’s paintings — hometown and heartwarming.


Nestled neatly in Heritage Square, not including the hay rides around the downtown, the core of the festival offered a farmer’s market-style donation-driven baked goods and crafts sale, painting pumpkins for children, plenty of fall decorations, and stores all around offering prizes for its Shop Hop participants.

And one other thing.

The centerpiece attraction of the Oct. 6-7 event came Saturday with the Chili Cook-Off. Five contestants brought an enticing aroma of hearty, home cooking that filled the Main and Downey street intersection.

Saturday started with a light rain but volunteers brought great spirit to preparations — a spirit that all but made the rain disappear. Interestingly enough, the rain stopped right about when Saturday’s events got under way.

And the smell of five different styles of chili helped draw folks out of their cars and homes and under the canopies for taste-testing and voting on their preferred level of spices, sugar, fresh ingredients and cooked meat. No one who tried them all left hungry.

By the way, it took some folks a long time to decide on the best chili — four with a beef base and one with chicken — and the title eventually went to Chris Cruse of Brown’s West Branch car dealership.

The hay rides ran constantly, taking however many or however few wanted to ride at any given time. Between that and the bustle and of activity and friendly conversation at Heritage Square and the shoppers weaving in and out of local shops, downtown was surprisingly alive despite the overcast skies and cool, fall weather.

Fall Festival has come and gone over the years, but we think West Branch Community Development Group may have found some of the key elements that could give this event a foothold to longevity — a welcoming and down-home feel.