Harvest Moon Festival this weekend

Main Street Van Wert information

This Saturday the fourth annual Harvest Moon Fest will be held in downtown Van Wert, with many of the activities from last year returning again. Kicking off the morning will be a 1-mile fun run at 8:30 a.m., and the Costume 5K Run/walk beginning at 9 that morning.

Participants may pre-register for either event, or register beginning at 8 Saturday morning in front of The Hotel Marsh on Main Street. Costumes are encouraged, but not required. 5K registration is just $15 and includes an event t-shirt for the first 50 registered.

Beginning at 9 Saturday morning, the County Courthouse lawn and sidewalks will host the final Market on Main outdoor growers and vendor market, with more than 30 vendors scheduled to participate. Visitors will find fresh produce, handmade crafts, lunch options and more. The outdoor market will run until 1 p.m. A spooky storyteller is scheduled to make her appearance in the Garden of the Senses, sharing chilling tales of Van Wert’s past and more until noon.

Children and families alike will want to walk all through downtown to visit the many businesses that will be trick-or-treating from 9:30 a.m. until noon. A special treat again this year will be Judy Geary’s creatures, which will be roaming the sidewalks for trick-or-treat. Once an annual Van Wert tradition, these creatures now only make limited appearances and the Harvest Moon Fest is excited to host them downtown this year!

Throughout the morning, old-fashioned hay wagon rides will take families on a fall tour of downtown, with rides loading and unloading under The Hotel Marsh marquee. This event is presented by First Financial Bank, Taylor’s Auto Sales, Wells Fargo, and the Van Wert County Foundation, the 2013 community sponsors of Main Street Van Wert Inc.

For more information on any events, contact Main Street Van Wert at 419.238.6911. A full schedule and race info are available at www.MainStreetVanWert.org.