NEW PALESTINE — A grownup Spiderman, James Meadows, and his sidekick Spiderman junior, Brody Gunn, Meadows’ grandson, were hanging out at the pumpkin painting table adding just the right color of bright yellow to a mini pumpkin at the Second Annual New Palestine Harvest Fest Saturday afternoon.
“We’re here with lots of family and that’s great,” Meadows said. “We thought we’d help the place out some by getting lots of Spiderman here.”
The New Palestine Harvest Fest event was hosted this past weekend by officials from New Palestine Main Street. The gathering was set up in front of New Palestine High School just off of Main Street. The event was mostly free with just $1 fee for each child to take part in the games with proceeds going back to the organization.
“We’ve got vendors, trunk or treat, free apple cider, the kids can play all the games, it’s really just a nice way for us to say thank you to the community for supporting the town through Summer Fest and other events,” said New Palestine Main Street event organizer, Diana Boss.
Boss noted the goal was to have an event that was for the most part free to the community other than a $1 for the kids to take part in the fall games.
Boss’s husband, Carl Boss, also took part in getting things together and noted the event is bigger than the first year. This year the organizers set up the trunk or treat along the back with the vendors and opened up the grass area for fall type games and photo opportunities for the kids.
“We’ve got businesses and several area church groups who have stepped up to make this event nicer than last year,” Carl Boss said.
Real Life Church members donated free apple cider for everyone while Fountaintown Christian Church, known as the “The Fountain” hosted the chili cook off which everyone got to taste and Community Christian Church sponsored a cake/cookie walk.
“The Fountain also funded all the small pumpkins for the kids to paint,” Carl Boss said.
One of the local businesses, Homebound Real Estate, set up an apple dipping station to help the kids make fresh caramel apples.
“We have a caramel apple station and lots of candy,” said real estate agent and New Palestine High School teacher, Jeremy Large. “I do like things like this because I do seem to know a lot of people in the town and I get to see former students who have graduated and that’s always lots of fun.”
Another business, Frey Water Conditioning, used one of their trucks to set up a mini-haunted house for kids to visit, plus there was the paint a pumpkin station as well as a chance to let kids play in the hay.
Town Council member Bill Niemier, Town Manager Jim Robinson and Town Council candidate Adam Axthelm were all set up in the trunk or treat area. They were on hand handing out candy to the kids and enjoying the beautiful fall day.
“It’s a wonderful event,” Niemier said. “It’s great to have another opportunity to have a community get together.”
Robinson noted with this being the second year for the Harvest Fest, it was better than the first one with more vendors and more events set up for kids to be kids.
“We’re really blessed to have a great group of organizers who took the time to put something really nice together,” Robinson said. “We think they did a really nice job.”
Morristown’s Sam Lucas was with her family visiting the Harvest Fest and agreed. She noted her family was having a good time which included her little niece who was dressed as a tiny pumpkin person.
“This is great because there are so many things for the kids to do,” Lucas said. “We really are having a lot of fun.”
Diana Boss noted New Palestine Main Street could not of had such a successful event without a good team of workers to help put it all together which included Katherine Kortz, Emily Butora and Pam Brooks.
