The 35th annual De Soto Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, along Main Street. The festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Fletcher to West Pratt streets.
Sarah Greenlee, office coordinator for the De Soto Chamber of Commerce, said new activities this year will include a kangaroo encounter and a performance by a magician.
DJ Edwards, a master magician from Park Hills who has been performing for three decades, will perform at 11 a.m. on Main Street.
“He was highly recommended,” Greenlee said. “We are excited to see the show.”
Ellie Mae’s Menagerie of Robertsville will offer hands-on kangaroo encounters for $10.
Big River Alpacas will have alpacas that people can pet for free.
More than 100 vendors, including food trucks, a beer tent and a wine-tasting booth, will participate this year. Main Street businesses and restaurants will be open.
Blackwell Station band, which plays a variety of country, rock and southern rock, will be back this year. They will perform from 1-5 p.m. at Main and Boyd streets.
The annual car, truck and bike show sponsored by the Arlington Event Center, 207 E. Main St., will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration will be held from 7-9 a.m. with a $20 registration fee for entries. Participants should enter from Fletcher Street. Awards will be announced at 2 p.m. For more information, call 636-337-6109.
The Trucks, Tracks and Kodak Moments will return to allow youngsters a chance to get up close to large vehicles and take photos of them. It will be on Main Street near the plaza, and the first 150 children will receive a free construction hat. Vehicles will include school buses, a Scooby-Doo bus, a bucket truck and a trash truck, she said.
Greenlee said the kids’ area, which will include bounce houses, inflatable games and an obstacle course, is a returning favorite. A wristband for those activities will cost $10.
The dunk tank will be back again, giving community members a chance to dunk school district employees, coaches and community leaders. The cost is $5 for three chances or $10 for an automatic dunk, she said.
“We got a game table donated so we are going to raffle it off as a fundraiser,” Greenlee said.
The fall festival is the De Soto Chamber of Commerce’s biggest fundraiser event. Proceeds go to help fund chamber activities throughout the year.
Farmers Market
The De Soto Farmers Market, 520 N. Main St., will be open as usual during the fall festival and will offer fun activities.
Cara Ahern, assistant market manager, said the market is collaborating with Back to Play to hold Family Olympics Day from 8 a.m. to noon on Main Street near the market’s pavilion. The event is free, but donations will be accepted for Back to Play.
Teams of three or four can compete, with teams performing 10 cooperative tasks, such as Frisbee Connect Four and a Hula Hoop Lasso, at carnival-style stations.
For more information on Family Olympics Day, email market@gethealthydesoto.org.
The market also will hold Heritage Days, which will feature vendors and demonstrators showcasing various periods of American history, as well as cultures that have come together to make the country what it is, Ahern said.