It may be the best measure of the Fall Festival’s success. The food vendors said they increased their inventory from last year, and still sold out by the end of the day.
This was the second year that the Chamber broke with tradition by hosting the event on a Sunday rather than a Saturday. Residents seemed to adapt to the change. They included the festival with their other activities. Soccer players showed up in their uniforms. Churchgoers stayed on Main Street after their services were over. A group of hikers visited the festival before climbing Storm King Mountain.
Rev. Andrew Peck-McClain of the Cornwall United Methodist Church was part of the crowd. He said his congregation didn’t complain about parking problems or about noise from the morning festivities. The organizers of the event had deliberately saved the louder entertainment for later in the day.
The Chamber members added a full block to the length of the festival and increased the number of activities for children. There was a new bounce house, pumpkin painting, candle dipping and an extra pie-eating contest. Surprisingly, some of the teenagers decided that they weren’t too old to have their faces painted.
It was a day for businesses to be seen, and for friends to get re-connected after the summer. People were chatty. The Local hosted a booth where kids spun a wheel to win prizes for themselves or earn discounts on subscriptions for their parents. One couple told us that when they first looked at a home in Cornwall, a neighbor gave them a copy of the Local so they could see what was happening here. Another visitor to the booth admitted that when he moved into town he didn’t know that we were a weekly publication. When he brought home his Local, he blamed the store for selling a paper that was a few days old.
From noon until five, the entertainment at Bridge Street was non-stop. It included dancers, bands, gymnasts and specialists in martial arts. Late in the day, there was line dancing and a chance for audience participation.
With 120 vendors, the festival was a financial success. Richard Massimi, the president of the Chamber, says that the money will come back to the community – possibly in beautification projects that can be seen and enjoyed by everyone.
The organizing committee will meet in a week to evaluate the recent event and make plans for next year. They’re likely to recommend that the food vendors bring plenty of food.
Some of the sights along Main Street at the Greater Cornwall Chamber of Commerce’s 40th Annual Fall Festival!
