A new season begins in O’Fallon’s Downtown District this weekend
Two new festivals, returning events, and a focus on special celebrations are what’s ahead as the city and local merchants usher in the warm weather seasons in O’Fallon’s Downtown District.
Samantha Sorrick, the city’s special events manager, said they are eager to welcome an influx of visitors when the popular Vine Street Market opens this Saturday for its sixth season at O’Fallon Station. Hours are from 8 a.m. to noon May 10 through Oct. 18.
“We are geared up and ready for the season to start,” Sorrick said. “I am feeling really great about everything we are offering this year, and I think it’s going to be an amazing season.”
The farmers market, introduced in May 2019, has grown each year, increasing the variety of events and features along the way.
At this year’s festive opener, 75 vendors will be selling their homegrown and handmade goods. Meat, produce, dairy, eggs, baked goods, wine, jellies, flowers, plants, honey, soap, jewelry, art, coffee and more are available.
The city also is introducing two new festivals – Peach Festival on July 19 and Harvest Festival on Oct. 18. The Strawberry Festival on May 17 and Watermelon Festival Aug. 9 return.
“Our vendors love doing the festivals and we were getting a lot of comments that they wanted to do more, so we decided to add two new ones to our lineup this year. We’re going to give the Peach Festival a shot, which I do think a lot of people will be interested in. Nothing better than fresh peaches on a hot summer day! So, we’ll see how that goes and maybe that will become a staple event in the future,” Sorrick said.
“Harvest Festival is kind of a dual purpose. We want to focus on all things autumn – pumpkins, gourds, apples, and so forth – but it’s also the last day of our market, so it’s also serving as an end of the season celebration for us. As always with the festivals, guests can expect to find the ‘fresh’ version of whatever we’re celebrating from our local farmers, as well as an array of themed goods from everyone else.”
Sorrick said last year’s season topped the previous total visitor count by about 3,000 people.
“The vendors really know what they are doing, and I enjoyed getting to know them and their crafts,” she said.
The city received the largest number of vendor applications for this season, with a total of 139 submitted.
Other anticipated elements of the market include The Vine activity tent, which will be filled almost every weekend with guests offering special services or education. Participants will offer knife sharpening, wellness materials, information on local pet rescue, the city’s EMS, and other pertinent topics.
Two live musicians are booked for every week. Moonbird Yoga will offer yoga at 8 a.m. every Saturday during the market season, located in the grassy area behind the Chamber of Commerce’s office.
The POP (Power of Produce) Club, a free educational program for children, encourages eating more produce, also is returning.
New this year is that the Girls Scouts Robotics teams will be at the market several times throughout the season showing their skills, Sorrick said.
Downtown District Nights
District Nights, the Downtown District’s summer evening concert series, begins its third season on Thursday, June 5, from 5 to 9 p.m.
The 1st Street corridor from Vine Street to Oak Street will be closed so people can walk around, listen to music, sit and enjoy food and drink. People are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.
Organizations say outside food or drink, including water bottles, is not permitted. There is a free water station available, and local businesses are offering food and drink options.
The event is free to enter. Purchase an event drink cup at the start of the night and have it refilled all night by participating Downtown District Merchants. ($5 for the cup, drink prices vary with choice of beverage).
All funds raised at this event support this and all Downtown District activities.
Live music can be heard from 6 to 9 p.m. The first event features Griffin and the Gargoyles on the main stage, with Ivan John on the second stage.
A Car Cruise-In is sponsored and hosted by Newbold. The cruise is not a judged show but a place where car owners can show off their prized cars.
The two other District Nights will be Thursday, July 3, and Aug. 7.