The St. James Chamber of Commerce will host the 91st annual Grape and Fall Festival Sept. 5-7 in St. James, and it has announced a series of changes to make the festival more inclusive and enjoyable for everyone in the community.
This year’s event has been dubbed The Grape Escape – Harvesting Happiness.
The most significant of those changes are no entry fee, no season passes and a request for sponsorships so that every child in the community may enjoy carnival rides.
“This festival has always been about celebrating our community, and this year, we’re taking that commitment to the next level,” said Taisia Gordon, president of the St. James Chamber of Commerce. “By eliminating gate fees and introducing the sponsorship program, we hope to create an environment where every member of our community feels welcome and valued.”
This decision is the chamber’s commitment to make the festival accessible to all, allowing everyone to enter the park and partake in the festivities without any barriers, organizers said.
Sponsors sought for carnival rides
To support this inclusive initiative, chamber officials are seeking individuals and businesses to sponsor a child to ride the carnival rides for $20 which will include a wristband with access all three nights. These sponsorships will help ensure that all students in the community can fully participate in the festival’s activities.
With about 1,200 students in need of sponsorship, the aim is to make this a collective effort, showcasing the spirit of St. James, organizers said.
A donation button is available on the St. James Chamber of Commerce website, making it easy to contribute.
Queen pageant kicks off three-day festival
The festival will feature a wide array of activities, including a queen pageant to kick off all events Thursday evening at the fairgrounds, children’s races, followed by a park duck hunt organized by the St. James Police Department.
Friday evening, there will be a professional working dog show, wiener dog races, cattle roping, flea market, food vendors, grape stomping, golf simulator, a parade, and more.
Saturday night ends with a concert with a combination of Devon Sutterfield who was featured on television program “The Voice,” and Eli Alger and The Faster Horses from Nashville.
Always a town favorite are all the FFA animal programs and Lucy Wortham James/4H exhibits.
