Main Street is filled during the annual Butler Fall Butler Festival in 2012. This year's festival will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday and feature food, vendors, and entertainment through 6 p.m.

Organizers are hoping for sunshine Saturday at the 36th annual Butler Fall Festival on Main Street.

That is because last year's event was canceled shortly after it began due to rain and the threat of strong storms.

With no rain date in place, festival organizers decided to provide vendors with a free space in this year's festival to make up for the canceled festival.

“We have high hopes for this year,” said Beverly Montag, the craft vendor chairman for the event.

Montag said its nearly impossible to prepare a rain date due to the need to reserve all of Main Street, meaning the festival is at the mercy of the weather.

Despite the setback last year, Montag said more than 130 vendors are signed up for Saturday.

“We actually had to put vendors on Cunningham and Jefferson streets because Main Street is filled up,” she said.

Montag said the number of vendors is up from previous years, and that the canceled event didn't drive away too many participants.

“We have a number of people coming back from last year's unfortunate rain,” she said.

But festival organizers had a difficult time planning the festival due to the free vendor spaces.

“It makes things difficult, but it was the right thing to do,” Montag said about offering free spaces.

Montag also said sponsorships are down this year, meaning organizers are even more grateful for those who are helping fund the event.

“Without our sponsors, we couldn't do this,” Montag said.

Organizers are hoping for a successful festival this year to set up the future success at the event.

The festival will begin at 11 a.m. and will feature food, vendors, and entertainment through 6 p.m.

Montag said there will be bands performing at both a Diamond Street stage and the West New Castle Street Plaza.

A ventriloquist and a origami artist also will be circulating in the crowd to entertain visitors.The Rodfathers Motorsports Club of Butler will have a classic car cruise at the event. The club's cars have been a popular attraction in recent years.“There will be a bunch of cars on the north side of town,” Montag said.Children will have the opportunity to play games at multiple vendors as well, Montag said.“There's a little something for everyone,” she said.Numerous food vendors will offer visitors different foods including hot sausage, steak hoagies, fries, gyros, wings and treats such as funnel cakes and apple dumplings.Organizers volunteer many hours throughout the year to bring together the event, which Montag said is a great annual tradition for the city.“It creates a great sense of community,” she said.The festival is an important date for the city, according to the Butler Downtown Main Street Program.Chelynne Curci, the Main Street manager for the nonprofit, said it is a great way for the city to highlight its businesses.“The festival brings so many people downtown who otherwise wouldn't be here,” she said. “It's a great way to showcase the positive changes being made on Main Street.”The festival will mark the final weekend of the nonprofit's West New Castle Street Plaza.Curci said the annual event is a fitting end to the summer venue.“It's a good way to wind down summer and kickoff fall,” she said.

Nathan Keep is fascinated with the engine compartment of a 1930 Ford owned by Ed Crawford of East Brady during the 2012 Butler Fall Festival. On Saturday, the Rodfathers Motorsports Club of Butler will have a classic car cruise with cars parked on the north side of town.