Harvest Fest brings fall fun
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Declan Clements, 8, took home the award for “Farragut’s best Dolly Parton” at Shop Farragut’s Harvest Fest Sunday, Oct. 25, at Village Green Shopping Center. - Photos by Jake Nichols
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Sophia Martinez, 6, showed off her whiskers and cat ears during the Shop Farragut Harvest Fest Sunday, Oct. 25. - Photos by Jake Nichols
Princess crowns, superhero outfits and fireman costumes popped through the crowd as children toting Jack-o-lantern Halloween baskets walked with their families through the parking lot of Village Green Shopping Center.
People with costume-clad dogs ambled toward the food trucks lined along one side or one of the many booths within the area.
Finally, after the band “Please Rewind” belted hits such as “Summer of ‘69,” attendees gathered to check out the costume contests.
All the excitement comprised the annual Harvest Fest, presented by Shop Farragut and the Farragut Business Alliance Sunday, Oct. 25.
“I love it, and I love seeing all the kids,” Shop Farragut president Candace Viox said. “To see all these little babies and younger kids all dressed up, and even older kids and grandparents and family units, that’s what Farragut is about anyway. It’s a fun event. We take good care of our community during the holidays.”
Viox noted 40 vendors at the event, as well as five food trucks offering German food, Mexican cuisine and even snow cones, which became a popular treat as the sun shone through a cloudless sky.
But the October heat did nothing to deter the crowd, which enjoyed events, such as face-painting and a small putting green, along with a bit of outdoor shopping at different booths.
“I feel like it’s a great event,” Shop Farragut executive director Ashley Lynch said.
“I’m very happy. We’ve only had one vendor that didn’t show up, and there are lots of families and great contests going on.”
She admitted this festival was “a little easier” than the organization’s previous event, Dog Daze in August.
“But also, there was a learning curve with it being my first time,” Lynch said. “This was pretty cut and dry. I’m excited to see everyone’s interpretation of Dolly, honoring an icon and a legend.”
As Lynch alluded, this year’s new costume category featured Farragut’s best interpretation of the late country music icon Dolly Parton, whose hit song “9 to 5” played during the presentations.
The winner of that contest turned out to be 8-year-old Declan Clements, who received a gift basket after rocking her blonde curls and a coat of many colors.
“Best overall” went to 3-year-old Millie Barry, who earned the win with some mean dance moves in her tiny astronaut suit.
In the other categories, 6-year-old goldendoodle Lily won the contest for “best pet” in her witch getup. The sibling trio of Teddy, Emmett and Alfie won “best under five” for their joint effort as “The Little Rascals,” and the Johnson family won “best group” for their Star Wars outfits.
Overall, one person summarized the event with four words, “This was so fun!”
And Stephanie Johnson, a Farragut graduate and the mother of the group that won for Star Wars, agreed completely.
“It was really fun,” she said. “It was a lot bigger and had more stuff than I anticipated. I was surprised we won because there were a lot of good costumes.”
