New president makes some changes to Fall Festival
(A complete guide to the festival and all the events and attractions will be included in the next edition of The Eagle.)
Sep. 4, 2013 PLYMOUTH EAGLE.
Refining tradition
The 58th Annual Plymouth Fall Festival will mix the traditional and popular attractions with a few improvements this year.
The festival, which begins the weekend after Labor Day every year, will continue many of the favorite attractions that thou- sands of visitors have come to anticipate, along with some changes and additions, all under the watchful eye of new Fall Festival President Eric Joy.
Joy isn’t new to the three-day event which will run Sept. 6,7 and 8, as he has been involved on the Fall Festival Board of Directors for several years, serving and vice-president until taking on the presidency this year. He’s been working at the festival in some capacity, however, for about two decades.
“One of my goals for the event is to have more community involvement,” Joy said, “and to do that, we have to make it more financially stable.”
He said he hasn’t made many changes this year but has some plans that will see more groups able to afford to participate more in the event.
One of the changes this year is the Car Show downtown where the Vietnam Veterans of America group has taken on the display.
According to member John Fleming, the veterans group has been an active participant at the festival for about 25 years. They have members from throughout the area including Flat Rock, Dearborn, Garden City, Lincoln Park, Canton Township and of course, Plymouth, where the group meets the second Monday of the month at the VFW Hall on Mill Street.
“This is the first year for the car show for us,” Fleming said. “We will still also have our booth where we sell corn on the cob,” he added. The car show will fill one end of town on Saturday and Sunday when owners spend $10 for one day or $15 for two-day passes to show off their vehicles.
Another change this year is the move of the A.M. Rotary Club Spaghetti Dinner from the corner of Kellogg Park to the Party Tent behind E.G. Nick’s restaurant on Forest Street. The tent drive through set up for the dinners can be accessed off Harvey Street.
Organizer Kate Rosevear said this change will allow the group to cut waiting time for dinners down as the group will be using the E.G. Nick’s kitchen and have all the supplies and food right on hand rather than blocks away. She hopes folks will come and stay for the Michigan Notre Dame foot- ball game which will be shown on a 12-foot screen outside the party tent beginning at 8 p.m.
Another change this year is the shuttle service and free parking offered by Praise Baptist Church.
There will be free parking at the church located at 40500 North Territorial Road and continuous round-trip free shuttles into downtown for visitors to the festival.
According to James Hooper, a member of the church, the effort to help alleviate some of the traffic and parking problems during the annual community event from the church leadership group who arranged the shuttle service with Joy.
The shuttles will run continuously, he stressed, and he expects that the round trips will take no more than 15 or 20 minutes.
While the shuttles from downtown to Station 885 for the annual Civitans Taste Fest have been discontinued this year, event organizers are expecting even larger crowds at the event.
More than 20 of the most popular area restaurants will be providing samples of some of their best recipes during the annual Taste Fest from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 in the lower parking lot at Station 885 restaurant on Starkweather in Old Village.
Station 885 owner Rob Costanza said that this event was one of his favorites as it seemed like everyone benefits from the event.
“The Civitans just do so much good in the community and give to so many causes,” he said. “I donate my time and help them organize the event, and try to help them with our buying power, but these restaurants deserve a real vote of thanks for what they do. They not only donate the food, but the service staff, labor all their equipment. It just speaks well of their generosity,” he said. “It just grows and grows every year. Last year I think we had more than 300 people.”
After the Taste Fest, the Plymouth Canton Band Boosters will be hosting Bingo Games in The Gathering which players can join at any time from 6-10 p.m. Proceeds go to help the award-winning high school marching band.
The Optimists Pet Show will take place on the stage at Kellogg Park for all pets of any type at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, right after the famous Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast at the Gathering where pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee are priced at $6 if purchased in advance and $7 if purchased on Saturday. Children younger than 5 eat free at the event when accompanied by an adult.
Breakfast will be served, as usual, from 7 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at The Gathering, which is across from Kellogg Park and next to the Penn Theatre.
The traditional Rotary Club Chicken Barbeque will remain unchanged with the famous secret barbeque recipe chicken, corn, chips, roll, cookie and beverage dinners served at The Gathering from 11 a.m. until sold out on Sunday, Sept. 8 with carry outs available at West Middle School.
Rotary Club members have tickets for the barbeque meal which will be on sale at the downtown ticket booths beginning Friday.
Joy said the festival could not take place without the donations and help received from too many contributors to name.
“When I walk through town and see the families all having a good time, well, that’s the most satisfying thing of all for me. That’s what really makes it all worthwhile,” Joy said.
|News Plymouth Michigan
