Penn Township Fall Festival planning committee aims to ‘bring the community together’

For Michael Ginsburg, the annual fall festival is the one time a year every corner of Penn Township comes together.

Ginsburg, a 43-year resident of Level Green, was a township commissioner when the idea for a fall festival was born in 2005.

Following the success of the township’s 150th birthday celebration, Level Green resident Robert Kuster pitched the idea to hold a fall festival. In 2007, this vision became a reality.

Ginsburg said he and Kuster have been two of the co-chairs for the festival since it started.

“We’re a spread-out community. We don’t have a central town square. There’s all these different areas — Claridge, Harrison City, Boxcartown, Paintertown, Level Green. There’s no glue that holds us all together,” Ginsburg said. “So the purpose was to bring the community together.”

Over the past 15 years, Kuster said, the festival has grown into a multi-generational tradition.

“The kids that were in high school 10 years ago and had memories of going to the festival…they’re now bringing their 5- and 6- and 7-year-olds out to the township to experience the festival,” Kuster said.

After taking a year off in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the fall festival came back better than ever in 2021. Ginsburg said he hopes this trend will continue this year.

The festival, which takes place at Penn Township Municipal Park in Harrison City, will kick off at 5 p.m. Sept. 16 and wrap at the same time Sept. 18.

In addition to the typical array of carnival rides, vendors, crafters, food trucks, performances and parade walkers, Ginsburg said the festival will feature its first chili cook-off this year. Those interested in participating must bring their chili in a small crockpot to the cook-off booth by 1 p.m. Sept. 17.

Returning competitors to the pie bake-off should note the contest is limited to pumpkin pie entries, which must be submitted to the cook-off booth by 1:30 p.m. Sept. 17.

The first-place winners of the chili cook-off and pumpkin pie bake-off will receive $125. The second- and third-place entries will be awarded $75 and $50, respectively.

The performances will follow a 1980s theme to contrast the country theme from 2021.

Ginsburg said the number of registered vendors is up to the festival’s usual numbers, but the planning committee still is accepting applications. With two more planning meetings to take place leading up to festival weekend, Ginsburg said, the committee is in the process of selecting the grand marshal for the parade.

Ginsburg said he hopes for good turnout and pleasant weather at the festival.

“We gauge our success on two things — when the vendors say ‘This was a terrific festival,’ and when our community says ‘This was a good festival,’ because they were able to find everything they were looking for,” Ginsburg said.

Kuster said the volunteers and sponsors behind the event have played a huge role in ensuring the festival and its traditions continue.

“All of the sponsors — big and small — are so much appreciated by the committee and the township to allow us to put this on,” Kuster said. “It’s $32,000 plus annually to put this on. Without the sponsors and the vendors, this doesn’t happen.”