Scott City brings back the fall festival

While Summerfest is an annual occurrence in Scott City, for the past few years the city has forgone their fall festival and just held a Halloween parade. This Saturday (Oct. 23), however, fall festival makes a return (along with the parade) and will include activities for children and adults.

"We just started talking about what a shame it was to have all these people come out for this parade and then it's over," said Chaundra Mason, treasurer of the Scott City Chamber of Commerce.

According to Mason, the fall festivals stopped because there were not enough people involved in putting them together.

This year there are numerous groups who have decided to take part in putting together the festival. In addition to the chamber, the Scott City Parks and Recreations Board is involved, as is the Scott City PTO, the Scott City Women's Club and several local churches.

The Scott City's Women's Club is in charge of the Miss Fall Festival pageant, which will take place at 1 p.m. on an outdoor stage that will be set up on Second Street.

Shawna Rogers, the club's president, said she welcomes the return of fall festivals to Scott City.

"We have the Summerfest, which is great for the summer, but things sort of die down when it gets colder," she said.

She also thinks the festival will be help bring people to Old Illmo, which has recently seen the opening of the Illmo Bakery and Cafe and will soon have a new Mexican restaurant and beauty salon.

"It gets people down here and makes them say, 'hey, I didn't know these stores were down here'," Mason said.

The fall festival gets underway at 10 a.m. with a parade that starts out on Dearborn Street and head into Illmo and Second Street.

Following the parade there will be a costume contest and an assortment of games and activities for children. From 12 to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:20 to 1:40 p.m. there will be puppet shows put on by the First Assembly of God Church.

For adults, there will be craftors and live music starting at 2 p.m. featuring Too Wet to Plow and The International Playboys House of Pancakes Blues Band.

Because of the festival, a section of Second Street will be closed from 9 a.m. to around 4 p.m., while a section of Main Street will be closed for about an hour starting at 10 a.m.

"It's something we'd like to continue every year, so hopefully we can make this work," said the chamber's secretary Carol Stevens.

kalfisi@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182

Want to go?

What: Scott City Fall Festival

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 23

Where: Along Second Street in the Old Illmo section of Scott City