A youth football tournament and communitywide rummage sales are the two constants returning for the 29th annual Falls Fun Fest on the last weekend of September.
Struggling to find the community participation it had hoped for, the Oconto Falls Area Chamber of Commerce has abandoned plans to offer events at Memorial Field for this year’s celebration, Sept. 25-27.
Chamber President Gail Yatso said the chamber didn’t want to see the Falls Fest tradition end, but disappointing attendance led to a decision to drop the Memorial Field activities.
“There has to be something to engage the community,” she said, naming summer concerts at the beach and a holiday parade as two events the chamber is considering.
The Oconto Falls Lioness club no longer plans to run a chili cook-off contest at Falls Fest and instead switched its focus to Dash O.F. Color, a 5K run/walk held for the first time on Memorial Day weekend. The Lioness introduced the chili cook-off in 2011.
“It was fun to see it grow over the few years,” said Mary Beth Rice, a cook-off organizer. “The club was really happy to be able to take the proceeds and use them specifically for the Avenue of Lights.”
The chamber of commerce took charge of Falls Fun Fest in 2012, hoping new features, such as live music and art activities, would bring a fresh look and fresh interest to the celebration at Memorial Field. Panther Pride sponsored a 5K and 10K run/walk, resurrecting an event previously called the Hotcake Hustle because it was paired with a porkie and pancake breakfast.
In 2013, the chamber moved the event from early to late September to give it more of a fall flavor, allow time for youth football programs to practice before the tournament and avoid scheduling conflicts with Abrams Days and Lena Dairyfest.
In 2014, a flea/craft market was held and a local band performed at Memorial Field. In addition, a chamber subcommittee organized a timed 5K and 10K race and fun run, called Run for the Trails, to raise money for developing and improving the trails system in Oconto Falls. A pancake and porkie breakfast also took place.
Both are scheduled to return this year on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Also scheduled in late September is Oconto County Reads, a meet-and-greet event with June Melby, a poet, writer and stand-up comedian who was the voice of the alien Bang in the Warner Brothers film “Space Jam.” The six libraries in Oconto County will sponsor the event, to be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Falls Area Performing Arts Center.
