West Side Nut Club Fall Festival facts for kids
Quick facts for kids West Side Nut Club Fall Festival |
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| Status | Active |
| Genre | Community festival |
| Frequency | Annually (first full week of October) |
| Location(s) | Evansville, Indiana |
| Inaugurated | 1921 |
| Attendance | 200,000+ |
| Organised by | West Side Nut Club |
The West Side Nut Club Fall Festival is a super popular yearly event. It happens in the first full week of October on Franklin Street in Evansville, Indiana. The festival is organized by the West Side Nut Club.
This amazing festival has over 136 food booths. These booths are run by local non-profit groups. You can find all kinds of food, especially unique and traditional fried treats. The festival also offers lots of entertainment, fun carnival rides, and talent shows. It ends with a big parade.
Organizers think that between 100,000 and 150,000 people visit each night. This makes it one of the biggest street festivals in the United States! Radio host Paul Harvey once said it was the second-largest street festival in the U.S. He believed only the New Orleans Mardi Gras was bigger.
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The Festival's Story
After three successful Halloween festivals, some business people from the West Side decided to form a group in 1921. This group would help put on great Fall Festivals. Their goal was "to initiate, promote, and support any and all movements which are for the betterment of the West Side of Evansville, Indiana; also for the betterment of Evansville as a whole."
The very first West Side Nut Club Fall Festival was called a Halloween Night, Halloween Carnival, and masked ball. It was just one night long. It included a parade of people in costumes, followed by a Halloween Mask Ball. About 25,000 people came to this first event.
After that first festival, the Nut Club continued with one or two-night events until after World War II. During most of these early festivals, the Nut Club handled decorations, farm exhibits, and parades. A group called the Burdette Post of the American Legion sponsored street dances. In 1940, they added three rides: a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, and mini autos. They also had an exhibit of caged animals, food stands, and circus acts. In 1942, the rides moved to the library park on Franklin Street.
The festival stopped from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II. In 1946, the festival started again. For the first time, it lasted most of the week, from Monday through Saturday. The festival grew a lot during the 1950s. Non-profit groups began selling food from booths on Franklin Street. In 1952, Howell Baptist Church set up its first booth. According to the church, they served the festival's first Pronto Pups. The 1950s also brought bigger rides and more famous entertainers.
The festival was canceled in 2020. This was the first time in 75 years it didn't happen. The next year would have been its 100th anniversary, but it was its 97th festival overall. Instead of the full festival, they held a "half-pot" drawing.
The Nut Club has held a half-pot drawing every year during the fall festival since 2019. In 2022, the half-pot was the biggest ever. The total prize money was $1.64 million!
Fun Traditions
Music, Dance, and Parades
The Fall Festival starts on a Sunday and continues all week. Each day, you can enjoy many music and dance performances. These are often by local bands and young performers. Saturday, the last day of the festival, features a huge parade. This parade is very popular and brings in large crowds every year.
After winning two Olympic gold medals, Lilly King asked to be the grand marshal of the parade. She is from Evansville, and her request was granted! King said, "When you make the Olympic team you get to grand marshal the Fall Festival parade. Fall Festival is a holiday. It’s my favorite holiday. As a Westsider, I have to love Fall Festival."
A Unique Snack: Fried Brain Sandwich
The festival is also known for its fried brain sandwiches. This is a special local food. It's made from calf or pig brains that are battered and deep-fried. Then, they are served on a bun.
