Community Spotlight: Recap of Fall Festival and Family Fest
Published on September 30, 2021
“The 2021 Belton Fall Festival was a huge success!” says Jordan Comeau, Fall Festival committee head for Downtown Belton Main Street Inc. (DBMSI). “Thank you to all of the amazing vendors who put in the hard work, making this year’s festival great. We appreciate everyone coming out, having a good time, and supporting Downtown Belton Main Street.”
Fall Festival is a treasured, long-standing tradition on Main Street. DBMSI revamped the festival this year with more live entertainment and a wide variety of vendors. This year attendees experienced live music, supported local vendors and shop owners, ate delicious food, enjoyed an adult beverage from the beer garden, watched Main Street Performing Arts Center dances, and snapped a photo in the photo booth. The two-day festival was held on Main Street September 10th and 11th.
First time event – Family Fest hosted by Belton Parks and Recreation – added to the fun on Saturday. This event offered multiple family-friendly activities including a petting zoo, pony rides, inflatables, face painting, and balloon twisting.
“Our first Family Fest exceeded our expectations,” says Melissa Ferrari, community engagement manager, Belton Parks and Recreation. “Families with young children came out in droves. We definitely plan to host the event in future years in coordination with DBMSI’s Fall Festival.”
All aboard! The Belton, Grandview & Kansas City Railroad offered free train rides every 15 minutes, allowing people to easily visit both Fall Festival and Family Fest. “Over 1,400 one-way train rides were given in only four hours,” says Ferrari.
Downtown Belton Main Street Inc. and Belton Parks and Recreation collaborated to schedule these two, family-friendly events together and, literally, connect them with the free train rides. “It was awesome to partner with Belton Parks and Recreation to provide Family Fest at Memorial Park. We plan to expand that portion of the event moving forward,” says Comeau. The combination of Fall Festival and Family Fest created a perfect weekend in Belton.
In recognition on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, a memorial was held Saturday afternoon to honor the heroes and remember those who have fallen. The Belton Fire and Police departments were recognized for their commitment to keeping the City of Belton safe. Pastor Chris Pinion led the crowd in prayer and a moment of silence. A collection from Main Street area businesses resulted in a donation of over $2,000 for SAFE, Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment Fund, in honor of our first responders.
Did you miss all of the fun? Don’t worry, we will see you next year!