It may be mid summer, but Fall is just around the corner, which for Centre, means Fall Festival time! This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 1, from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. along Main Street in Centre.

The city of Centre is pulling out all the stops to make the 29th Annual Event a success. Among some of the events discussed include an antique car show in the morning, possibly an antique farm and tractor show that afternoon in Centre City Park and a dance with a live band under the park pavilion that evening.

The Fall Fest planning committee officially kicked things off last week for this year’s event with the first meeting at Centre City Hall.

The Spirit of Cherokee Inc. Committee will not sponsor the event as it has in the past. Currently, every municipality in Cherokee County has its own special day and Spirit members felt the organization could no longer contribute to all of them. However, Thereasa Hulgan, a member of the Spirit of Cherokee Committee, is helping the city coordinate this year’s Fall Fest events and the city plans to seek other volunteers as well.

Upon Mrs. Hulgan’s recommendation, Fall Festival committee members have agreed to keep booth rental spaces the same at $15 each. There will be at least one change this year. In the past, Centre Civitan Club has sold barbecue on the lot next to Centre Middle School. A building is currently under construction on that lot and Mayor Phil Powell suggested offering the use of the old fire department building parking lot.

Hulgan said she will get registration forms mailed to all those who had a booth last year to see if they would like to participate again this year.

The committee agreed to seek volunteers for the parade chairperson and parade committee and City Councilwoman Bess Yarbrough suggested also appoint a chairperson to oversee children’s entertainment.

Mrs. Hulgan agreed to work with the decoration committee and speak with various vendors about getting hay bales and corn stalks, pumpkins and mums from local greenhouses.

The Kids Fun Run, which has been a huge success in the past, is on again for this year, and organizers hope to bring back the 5K run, which has been a good money maker in the past and also brought in runners from throughout the southeast.

Centre Street and Sanitation Supervisor Bobby Paul agreed mark off spots and put up vendor signs the Friday (or sooner) before the festival.

Paul said his crew also works with the Centre Police Department in planning for traffic control.

Centre City Clerk Mary Lee Tucker and Volunteer Joan Laney agreed to check with local vendors about providing antique cars that morning.

The committee hopes to offer a variety of entertainment, including a local bluegrass band, throughout the event.

A few months ago, Mrs. Tucker said, a local vendor requested the city’s permission to sponsor a large tractor show (possibly with 300 tractors or more) in Centre City Park and suggested the date of the Fall Festival. He also suggested he might check with Centre First Baptist Church about using the Recreation Outreach Center (ROC) for parking.

Possibly, the Centre Fire Department or another organization could sell barbecue as a fundraiser at the Farm and Tractor show and also for the evening activities, the committee suggested.

As for the evening festivities, the committee voted to hold a dance under the Centre City Park pavilion in honor of retirees, senior citizens and veterans of all wars. Mrs. Yarbrough said she had the names of some bands to contact about performing that evening.

The publicity committee will advertise and publicize the event in all local media outlets and also The Gadsden Times. Mrs. Yarbrough said she would also try to get the event publicized in Cherokee Electric Cooperative’s Alabama Living Magazine and also the Alfa Insurance Publication.

Those who would like to volunteer or for more information on the Centre Fall Festival 29 may call (256)927-5222