Many hands made a great festival

Dear Editor,

Saturday, October 4, Willow Springs celebrated the 51st Annual Bear City Fall Festival. Each year, this community tradition continues to grow, and with 110 vendors lining Main Street, this year marked one our largest festivals ever. With that growth, the Willow Springs Chamber Board and I realized we could no longer manage the entire event on our own, so for the first time, we put out a call for volunteers to help with early-morning setup and activities throughout the day.

The response was overwhelming. An absolute army of volunteers showed up Saturday morning, and it was perhaps the smoothest setup we have ever experienced. Volunteers worked tirelessly helping vendors find their spots, unload, and get set up. Throughout the day, that same spirit of service continued as helpers ran the Chamber booth, tallied contest results, and stayed late to assist with cleanup.

The Bear City Fall Festival is a wonderful draw for Willow Springs, and seeing it grow to this point is exciting. But even more exciting—and heartwarming—is seeing so many people step up to make it a success. The Chamber Board and I would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt gratitude to the following groups and individuals:

 

Volunteers and Community Partners

Kim Rich

Emmy Jensen

Matt Knapp

Kim Osborn

Sabrina Lee & the FBLA Group

Paul McCormick

Lacy Schwein

Grant Talburt & the FFA

Melanie Buster & FFA Alumni

Shane Collins & City Street Crew

Nick Tooley & Hunter Hicks – City Electric Department

Chief Andy Logan and WSFD

Chief Wes Ellison and WSPD

MFA – use of straw bales

 

Chamber Ambassadors

Caleb Hines

Michele Myers

Sidney Collins

 

Event & Stage Sponsors

When we asked for volunteers, we hoped for 5–8 people. What we got was far beyond that — an army of helpers! A huge portion of that group came from FFA and FBLA, and we cannot say enough about their incredible work ethic. Under the leadership of Mr. Grant Talburt and Mrs. Sabrina Lee, these students were everywhere — directing traffic, unloading vendors, setting up canopies, positioning food trailers, and even moving picnic tables multiple times to accommodate vendor needs. They set up the main stage and all the straw bales for both event areas. Their teamwork and energy were simply outstanding.

We truly could not have had such a smooth, successful festival without the help of our community members, school groups, and sponsors. Their dedication made this event shine — and it showed!

 

Several food vendors sold out before the festival ended, many reported their best day of sales ever, and crowds packed in for contests, live entertainment, and, of course, the always unpredictable Doxie Dash!

 

Thank you, Willow Springs, for showing once again what makes Bear City so special — community, teamwork, and hometown pride.

 

Thank you.

Kim McCormick,

Executive Director

Willow Springs Chamber of Commerce