Hundreds of people flocked to the first Byrnes Mill Fall Festival held since 2019, Mayor Rob Kiczenski said.
He estimated that about 500 people attended the festival, held Oct. 7 at Byrnes Mill City Park.
“I think attendance was similar if not better than before the pandemic,” Kiczenski said. “Everybody was excited to get out for the fall festival.”
Byrnes Mill Ward 1 Alderman Glenn LaVenture said the city special ordered the nice weather for the festival, which included local vendors, demonstrations, a bounce house and a petting zoo.
Most festivalgoers wore flannel shirts and jeans for the event, and fall leaves crunched underfoot, highlighting the season.
“The weather was perfect,” Kiczenski said. “It seemed pretty crowded. We sold a lot of food.”
The city sold hot dogs, brats, hamburgers and chips during the event, with LaVenture and Kiczenski staffing the grill.
“Everything went perfectly,” Kiczenski said. “We had a lot of volunteers. Hats off to the city employees for their help organizing the event.”
A dozen local vendors set up stalls for attendees to peruse. Members of the Northwest Historical and Preservation Society held demonstrations on candle-making and blacksmithing.
C&K Mobile Petting Zoo brought a baby kangaroo, bunnies and a llama, among other animals, to the festival. Katy Holley said the mobile petting zoo is a spin-off business venture of Critter Lane Petting Zoo in Valles Mines.
“Most of the larger animals live (at Critter Lane) when we’re not using them,” Holley said. “We started (the mobile zoo) in September, and we are available for birthday parties and events.”
Brandon Byrd of Arnold said he and his children, Lillian, 7, and Ezra, 5, attended the festival to get out of the house. The petting zoo piqued their interest.
“We were looking for something fun to do,” he said.
The Three Rivers Chapter of the Missouri Archaeological Society brought a slew of arrowheads, spearheads and farming tools found in the area. Chapter president Eric Smith said the artifacts were all found around different spots in Jefferson County.
Smith said his collection started with a visit to his uncle’s farm.
The first (arrowhead) I ever found as a kid was on a trail between the house and the barn that I used to walk a thousand times,” Smith said. “I think he planted it for me to find.”
The Three Rivers Chapter meets on the second Monday of the month at the Mastodon State Historic Site, 1050 Charles J Becker Drive, in Imperial.
The Hagemeister House, located in the city park, was open for tours during the festival.
The Northwest Historical and Preservation Society maintains the Hagemeister House, built by Charles Hagemeister in 1871, with support from the city of Byrnes Mill and Jefferson County, according to the city’s website.
“Everyone enjoyed themselves,” Kiczenski said. “People came in from all around, and we enjoyed seeing a lot of the residents out at the festival.”