The 33rd annual De Soto Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival to be held this weekend will have plenty to offer people of all ages.
Vendors will be on hand and activities will be held along Main Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, with music extending later into the day.
“We have around 100 booths/vendors,” said Sarah Greenlee, office coordinator for the De Soto Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a good number, very similar to last year.”
In addition to food and craft vendors, a beer tent, wine tasting and pony rides will be included. Twin City Party Rentals will set up a large selection of inflatables. Wristbands for all-day access to inflatables and foam fun will cost $20 the day of the event or $15 in advance at square.link/u/kvd5CePr.
Greenlee said the foam party is new this year.
She said another new activity is a hot dog-eating contest, sponsored by FatDogs and Sysco. The contest will be held at 1 p.m. near the center stage. Check-in is at 12:45 p.m.
Anyone at least 18 years old may enter the hot dog-eating contest, although people who are 16-17 may enter with parental permission. The contest is limited to the first 15 contestants, who will have three minutes to down all the hot dogs, including the buns, they can handle.
“It should be very entertaining to watch,” Greenlee said.
All contestants will receive a free T-shirt. The first-place winner will receive $50, while $30 will be awarded for second place and $20 for third place.
The annual car, truck and bike show, sponsored by Arlington Event Center, will be held on Main Street. Participants should enter at Fletcher Street. Registration will be from 9-10 a.m., with awards at 2 p.m.
It will cost $15 to enter. A variety of categories will be included: 1959 and earlier; 1960-1979; 1980 to current; best truck; best custom and best of show. For more information, call 636-337-6109.
Blank Flight will play music from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the car show.
On the main stage, Louise Rieffer Robertson will perform from noon to 3 p.m., and Roger Gallaway will perform from 3-6 p.m.
The festival also will include plenty for dog lovers.
U Dirty Dog Grooming Salon will again hold pet contests at 508 N. Main St. near the Farmers Market, which will be open that day. Contests will include Biggest Dog at noon; Smallest Dog at 12:15 p.m.; Most Unusual Animal at 12:30 p.m.; Canine Hot Dog Eating Contest at 12:45 p.m.; Costume Contest at 1 p.m.; and Best Trick at 1:15 p.m. In addition, a pet parade will be held at 1:30 p.m.
Dog-training demos will be held at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Pawsitive Principles Academy LLC, 318 S. Main St.
There will be paw print art and dog pictures, raffle baskets and free pup cups.
Kozzy’s on Main, 516 N. Main St., will hold a cornhole bags tournament at 1 p.m. Registration is at noon and the cost is $10 per team.
The De Soto Chamber of Commerce will be fundraising with a dunk tank and a Lucky Duck Contest on Main Street near Boyd Street.
“We will have popular locals from businesses, the school district, wrestling club and churches as volunteers in the dunk tank,” Greenlee said.
The cost for the dunk tank is $5 for three chances or $10 for an automatic dunk.
Greenlee said the duck contest costs $1 per chance, $5 for six chances, $10 for 12 chances or $20 for 25 chances. Cash and Venmo will be accepted.
She said they will assign people who buy the chances numbers, and then pre-numbered ducks will be pulled out at 3:30 p.m. Those who match the numbers on the ducks will win. First place is $200; second place is $100 and third place is $50.
She said Andrea Doyen-Patterson from Mueller Electric took the lead on the duck contest this year.
“(Rather than do the rubber ducks), she was able to get each student at the De Soto Schools to decorate a wooden duck for us to use,” Greenlee said. Those wooden ducks will be used again next year.
The fall festival is De Soto Chamber of Commerce’s biggest fundraising event. Proceeds go to help fund chamber activities throughout the year.