Hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day weekend. If you didn’t come out to Advance for their annual Labory Day festival, know that you missed a great time – especially on Monday when the Advance Fire Department’s “Hog Heaven” pork dinners extravaganza was being served. I met the Fire Chief, Police Chief and lots of great Advance neighbors who said this year’s crowd was a good one. It also appeared most everyone in Advance had a garage sale or flea market going in their front yards – with lots of bargains, curios and collectibles available.
After spirited bidding for the many auction items on Monday (including a whopping $350 bid for BooneCCVB board member, Wendy McMann’s legendary pecan pie!), the “Honky Tonk Attitude” band took the stage for an afternoon of classic country hits. Good band, good people and a good time was had by all from my view. My only slight complaint was that the elephant ears were a bit too doughy and not fried crispy all the way. But the delicious pork dinner served at Hog Heaven set the bar for main meal excellence in this year’s festival season.
This weekend, it’s on to Zionsville for their 2-day Fall Festival (actually 2 days/3 nights as the Poor Jack Carnival opens Friday night at 8pm). This is the Big Daddy of Boone County festivals with more events, music, food booths, appearances and attractions that can be listed in one place. You can find a complete list of events and times at: www.zionsvillelions.com
Every year, the Zionsville Lions introduce new features at the Fall Festival for different audiences. My big favorite is the VIP event that goes on at 5pm on Friday before the park opens to the general public. This is when 150+ special needs kids and adults, along with their families, are treated to 3 hours of fun, food and carnival rides.
Here’s the best news – it’s all FREE! The good people at Chick Fil A provide free meals, Poor Jack Carnival gives free rides and an army of volunteers are there to supervise the fun, escorting the kids through the carnival, playing the games and generally having a great time while parents and caretakers get to sit back and relax.
I’ll be there with my German Shepherd dog, Boudreaux, who loves all people – especially kids. Last year, Boudreaux made many new friends and is looking forward to pets and hugs from the bright faced attendees who obviously love their special VIP time at the Fall Festival.
The Zionsville Lions Club deserves a big hand for their hosting the VIP Event every year, as do the many volunteers who appear to have as much fun as the VIPs do.
Also back this year is the teen-focused Lion Palooza event on Saturday night with an appearance by the hilarious Comedy Sports group, a DJ spinning tunes and lots of free prizes, drinks and snacks. Sponsored by the Zionsville Police Department, Lion Palooza goes from 7-10pm – admission and fun is free. There’s also a big fireworks display at the end of the evening.
Popular area group, The Marlins, also play on Saturday night with a repertoire covering the entire musical spectrum including country, rock, big band, pop, classical, jazz, and bluegrass. Admission is Free - so bring your lawn chairs and prepare to be entertained.
If you like Americana at its Norman Rockwell finest, find a place on Zionsville’s Main Street Saturday morning for the annual Kiwanis parade at 10am. Bands, floats, celebrities and more march down the brick street in this yearly kick off to the Fall Festival.
Whether you like juried arts & crafts, a pet pavilion with 2 days of activities (bring your well mannered dog), food served by local restaurants (don’t miss the Friendly burgers) or just walking around with a crowd made up of families of all sizes – we’ll see you at the 56th annual Zionsville Fall Festival this weekend.
