By Maggie DiGiovanni
Elmore/Autauga News
A roaring success! That was the consensus for the Kent Fall Festival. What does it take to make a festival great? People like Michaela Wilson from Blue Ribbon Dairy to produce the idea and Mona Kabel, former military, to get the ball rolling. Next you bring in people willing to give of their time like Dodie Teel, Pat Colvard and Marjorie Renfro.
These dedicated ladies decided to hold a fundraiser to help build the new pavilion for the Kent Community. The pavilion will be for community meetings, voting arena, and entertainment. Along with selling tickets for a raffle, the idea for a first-time festival seemed a logical choice. The next question – would people attend? That was answered with a resounding “Yes” as booth after booth was snatched up by vendors wanting one last chance to show their wares before wintry weather.
Tents popped up beginning Friday night before the big event. Among them were old friends like Carmen Winslett and Carolyn Jones, top bakers and owner of Eclectic Sugar and Spice. New to the circuit was Scott and Delaney Poague, owners of Poague Tree Farm and Nursery, who have decided to go into the retail market. While the rest of us wished for the sun to come out, their beautiful trees and plants welcomed the all-day misting.
Grooms Girl owned by Allie Grooms offered delicious jellies and jams along with handmade earrings. Allie was especially glad to hear Kent was planning a festival as the chances to promote her wares have been slim this year.
Looking around the grounds, diversity was the key component for success. From bouncy castles for the children to a variety of good eats and a chance to be educated at some of the booths, there was something to grab the attention of everyone who attended. Not the least of these was Kasey Kaschak of Phenix City who gave a live music show.
Ms. Minnie from the Eclectic Senior Center handed out brochures welcoming other seniors to join the fun at her Center while offering tickets for a one-dollar donation to win a huge basket of pet supplies. From the sign on the front of the table, it seemed as though many of the movers and shakers of the Eclectic Community and neighboring Tallassee and Wetumpka made the basket possible.
Despite misting rain and chilly winds, 5,000 people came to see what over 70 vendors offered and few, if any, left with empty arms. With Christmas drawing near and supplies getting low, the festival offered exceptional and unusual gifts for the holiday. Kate Pugh had the rarest items of all. Along with delicious honey products, she and her husband offered beginner beehives and queen bees. This reporter settled for a jar of fabulous strawberry creamed honey.
With all the vendors and attendees, the most amazing part of the festival was how few glitches there seemed to be in an inaugural event. Contending with narrow lanes to move traffic in and out, cars, trucks and trailers moved along with occasional short waits. There was enough room for everyone to park, guided by traffic control. Moving throughout the tents, not one person complained about the festival. Only the weather received bad reviews.
That, however, was out of the hands of event planners.
