Butler Fall Festival to incorporate children’s market
Butler Fall Festival, with the help of a nationwide program, is looking to extend its entrepreneurial opportunities to local children this year.
The 49th annual Butler Fall Festival returns to the city’s Main Street from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27.
Dahn Kilroy, vice president of the festival’s board of directors, said on top of its staple activities, the festival this year will host the Children’s Entrepreneur Market.
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Kyler Detrick plays pumpkin themed miniature golf at last year’s Butler Fall Festival along Main Street in downtown Butler. Butler Eagle File Photo
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Lucy Garvey plays doctor in the kids area at last year’s Butler Fall Festival along Main Street in downtown Butler. Butler Eagle File Photo
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Eli Walowen is covered in corn kernels by Rose Snow at last year’s Butler Fall Festival along Main Street in downtown Butler. Butler Eagle File Photo
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Holden Snyder plays on the Bantam Jeep Sculpture at last year’s Butler Fall Festival along Main Street in downtown Butler. Butler Eagle File Photo
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The Butler Fall Festival takes place along Main Street in downtown Butler. Butler Eagle File Photo
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Lucy Garvey plays with a toy telephone in the kids area at last year’s Butler Fall Festival along Main Street in downtown Butler. Butler Eagle File Photo
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Simeon Rhodaberger, of Butler Township, works in the Butler Catholic School tent at the Butler Fall Festival along Main Street in downtown Butler in 2023. Butler Eagle File Photo
The market is a program that gives children the opportunity to sell a product from their own booth, according to its website. All transactions and customer service interactions are primarily handled by the child, while parents supervise and assist.
Registration is required for the Children’s Entrepreneur Market and can be completed on its website, www.kidsmarkets.com.
Outside of the children’s market, the festival will still offer over 140 retail and food vendors.
“We actually completely sold out of vendor space for the first time in a long time,” Kilroy said. “We’re really proud of that.”
She explained the festival this year will have over 20 food vendors stationed around Diamond Park, after the festival’s board made a push to increase options for attendees.
“Food is a big deal. Everyone loves the festival food. We’re really excited this year about the response we got from food vendors. Since this is one of the latest festivals in the area, we have a lot less competition than some of the summer ones,” Kilroy said.
The festival also will be host to another year of both the classic car cruise, located on the northern section of Main Street, and the Kid’s Zone, located in the North Main Street parking lot. The Butler County Farm Bureau will bring back its child-focused agriculture education booths.
Through listening to feedback, Kilroy said the board recognized a desire from the community to bring back live music. This year, three acts will perform in Diamond Park: country musician Angie DeRose, acoustic string duo Jive Daisy and rock band The Snowbirds.
While this year still aims to make the festival bigger and better than the last, Kilroy said board members are already brainstorming about what to do next year to mark the festival’s 50th anniversary.
At the end of the day, she said one of the best parts of the festival is getting new people downtown and supporting the brick-and-mortar businesses that line Main Street.
“We’re one of the biggest festivals put on in the city each year and with that, we want to support the Main Street businesses that go hand-in-hand with our festival. We tell them about it and encourage them to stay open,” she said.
Read more about festival at www.butlerfallfestival.com.
