Adam Huening
Greensburg Daily News
Greensburg —
With September only a day away, the fall season will be following right on its heels. This fall, however, is already set to be bigger and better than others before it, at least where festivals are concerned.
The Tree City Fall Festival committee has been hard at work over the last eight months putting together what they hope will be the best one so far.
According to festival president Laura Welborn, the annual fall tradition is now officially affiliated with the Indiana State Festival Association, which has opened the door for more grants and a wider variety of vendors and musical acts. While the traditional lip sync contest, Little Mr. and Miss contest, and the Miss Tree City Pageant remain, there are several changes the committee hopes will enhance the enjoyment for local residents and visitors, Welborn said.
A minor change to the Miss Tree City pageant will see the traditional contest take place on Thursday, Sept. 16. However, the winner will not be announced until the first day of the festival, Sept. 17.
Tree City Idol also returns for its third season. The preliminary round will take place on Saturday, Sept. 18 with the finals wrapping up the festival on Sunday, Sept. 19.
The annual Tree City Parade will march down the streets Saturday morning with State Rep. Cleo Duncan (R-Greensburg) as the Grand Marshal. However, there will be no theme. Welborn said this will hopefully enhance the creativity of the entrants.
The biggest change, she said, was the addition of a second entertainment stage. Stages will occupy opposite corners of the Courthouse square and the bands who plan to rock them come from a broad range of musical backgrounds.
"We wanted to bring a wide variety of artists to town. In order to grow the festival, we need to be bringing in a wider range of artists from several genres," Welborn said.
Artists will range from the country stylings of Stacy Lynn and Corey Cox, to the unique rock of Duke Tomato to the thrash metal of Thorn 4 Memory. The nationally renowned outfit, The Wright Brothers, will headline on Saturday night.
In addition, Welborn said there will be a variety of arts, crafts and entertainment. The Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library will host a tent filled with kids games, crafts and activities as well as a pumpkin rolling contest. The Decatur County Historical Society will be offering historical tours, and Welborn said the committee was looking at bringing more forms of literature, poetry, art and musical performance this year as well as in the future. The committee, she noted, wants to honor traditions while expanding on the kind of arts that local residents may enjoy.
"There are so many different arts that people are not exposed to, and we feel they're not going to be if we don't bring it to them," Welborn said.
Those wishing to participate in any of the contests or vendors looking to join in the fun can download applications from the festival's website, www.TreeCityFallFestival.com. There is also a Facebook page for those who wish to follow the festival as the time draws near.
Welborn encouraged everyone to get involved in some way - whether volunteering, competing or becoming a vendor - because the festival is truly a community-wide production.
