Fall Fest is Saturday

The Holton/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce’s 19th-annual Fall Fest event promises visitors to Holton’s Town Square this Saturday, Oct. 10, ample opportunity to shop businesses and vendors on the Square, sample a variety of chili recipes and enjoy live music from Manhattan-based country singer Katie May.

“We’re going to have a real variety for everyone,” Chamber director Ashlee York said of this year’s event, which has so far signed up 60 vendors for the day.

That day’s activities will include the 27th-annual Chili Cook-Off, in which creative chili cooks are encouraged to bring five gallons of their chili and set up a specially-decorated booth for serving their chili, with prizes available for the best chili and booths.

“We’ve got nine chili cooks signed up so far,” York said. “I’m thrilled with that, and we want more chili cooks.”

There’s also the annual scarecrow-decorating contest, in which individuals, businesses and organizations are invited to put up an exhibit that will also be judged for a prize. There will also be kids’ activities, including a bounce house and face painting, horse-drawn carriage rides and, of course, plenty of shopping on the Square.

York said there is no deadline for signing up as a vendor or chili cook for this year’s event, although vendors and chili cooks who would like to reserve a spot on the Square may do so online at exploreholton.com/events/fall-fest-vendors or by calling the Chamber office at (785) 364-3963.

Fall Fest is part of the Chamber’s monthly “Second Saturday” schedule of activities, which is now being held on the second Saturday of each month, starting in September and continuing through December.

May, a recent addition to this year’s Fall Fest line-up, will perform from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the north side of the Jackson County Courthouse. A native of Wisconsin now living in Manhattan, May, whose original music is described as “’90s country with a rock edge,” has toured extensively and has shared stages with the likes of Jason Aldean, Kane Brown and Terri Clark.

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