Signs of the new season will be all around us soon — the brisk, fall smells in the air, the crunch of leaves beneath your feet, flavours like apple, cinnamon and maple popping up on café menus, and the sight of fall produce like pumpkins and squash for sale at farm stands on rural roads across town.
With autumn finally here, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce wants to celebrate by hosting its first-ever Harvest Festival — which will also serve as an opportunity to support the businesses, particularly farmers, operating in the community.
It’ll be held on Saturday, Oct. 26 behind the old Court House on Market Street in Old Town.
Typically, the chamber of commerce is focused on attracting people from out of town into the community to support the town’s businesses, including its farmers.
“A lot of our events are more kind of tourism-focused,” said Bri VanSickle of the chamber’s marketing team.
The Harvest Festival, however, is geared to the people who live, work and do business in NOTL.
“This event is supposed to be moreso for the community and to highlight those fall themes of things going on in Niagara-on-the-Lake,” VanSickle said.
The festival will include a farmers’ market with food and drink vendors, local craft beer, cider and wine for sale, plus live music and family-friendly activities.
“You’ll be able to sit and enjoy a drink and you can eat the food from the vendors.”
The chamber sees this festival is an opportunity to help local businesses, entrepreneurs, farmers and growers over the long run and not just during the one-day event.
“I see it being beneficial just because people are going to be coming from Niagara-on-the-Lake,” said VanSickle.
“(Vendors) can promote their products to the people that actually live here — to people who want to know more about what these businesses are doing in Niagara-on-the-Lake.”
VanSickle said local distilleries may be at the market offering samples of their brews, plus potential clothing vendors, so attendees can do some shopping.
To register as a vendor for the farmers’ market, contact the chamber’s events co-ordinator, Emelyn Williams, at emelyn@niagaraonthelake.com.
The festival will start at 11 a.m. on Oct. 26 and run until 6 p.m.
Applications for vendors opened this week and will continue until Oct. 11.
