Downtown shows up for Harvest Moon Festival

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Warm weather and torn-up streets didn’t keep downtown Charles City from welcoming in the fall season as crowds of shoppers came out to enjoy the annual Harvest Moon Festival on Thursday, Sept. 26.

“It’s been a lovely evening,” said Darci Tracey, owner of Prologue Books and Wine, who organized the event.

The Harvest Moon Festival was a big night for Prologue, which didn’t just have falls sales, but also coincided with specials for Banned Books Week, the launch of Prologue’s wine club, and a live music performance.

Other businesses used the event to kick off the fall season as well. Staying open late into the evening, downtown clothing stores welcomed shoppers to get a head start on the fall shopping season with snacks, spirits, and sales.

“We put out a bunch of new stuff already for fall,” said Ashley Fagerland of Cardigan, which had a sale on sweaters along with samples of cider and baked goods during the event.

From downtown clothing stores to specialty shops, everybody had their own way of celebrating the Harvest Festival.

The Charles City Arts Center hosted a bracelet making class, Tom Bock at Charles City Electronics was excited to have people play the Disk Drop Game for a chance at treats and prizes, while Mystic Witch Candice Luna was set-up at The Rustic Corner to perform magic card readings.

Home-based business owners were also invited to get in on the fun, setting up at the Knights of Columbus hall.

Along with partaking in the sales, shoppers didn’t walk away hungry either. Snacks and drinks could be found at most of the participating stores, samples of “Snap-o-Lantern” ice cream were given out at Dean’s Treats, and a selection of food trucks were scattered across downtown, offering plenty of opportunities to eat and drink throughout the event.

Tracey said she had concerns that that ongoing construction on Main Street would depress turnout for the event, but as the evening rolled on it became clear that people were finding their way downtown regardless of the blocked streets.

“I’m very proud of Charles City for showing up,” said Tracey. “I’m really happy with it.”