BUTLER - On a warm, rain-free day, hundreds of residents poured onto Main Street to enjoy unique food, buy homemade crafts and peer beneath the hoods of countless antique cars at the 26th annual Fall Ethnic Festival.

Most of the festival's offerings were familiar to returning residents: Italian dancing and children singing in sign language on the stage by the Butler County Courthouse, vendors selling their ethnic food around Diamond Park, and community groups and craftspeople lining Main Street.

Several events and organizations, however, were new to this year's festival. The Butler P.M. Rotary Club had a golf ball drop to raise money for the Special Kids Zone at Alameda Park, which is being sponsored by the A.M. Rotary Club

With the help of Lt. Kevin McAfee and driver Scott Marshall of the city fire department, more than 1,700 golf balls were dropped from a 30-foot fire ladder.

The winner of the $1,000 prize was Ken Blair of Sarver for having his ball land in the hole.

People donated $10 per ball for this fund-raising event that the club wants to make an annual event.

Another newcomer was the recently restored, soon-to-be-opened Penn Cinema, which offered free showings of two Marx Brothers movies, "Duck Soup" and "A Night at the Opera."

The 228 tickets, which were given away throughout the day, were gone at least several hours before the first movie started.

Don Rasely, president of the Butler Penn Theater Trust, said he had anticipated giving all the tickets away, and was pleased with the response.

"There's a lot of families upstairs," he said, noting it meant members of several generations were getting the chance, maybe for the first time, to see a silent movie in an old theater.

Restoration of the theater is largely completed, but Rasely said the official opening date has not been announced.

The Butler County Community College's booth offered a new attraction, a raffle for a large gift basket filled with $50 worth of college paraphernalia, such as stationery and mugs.

Michelle Jamieson, the director for alumni programs and annual campaigns, said the basket had a specific mission.

"Part of the reason I wanted to do it is to reach out to alumni," she said. "It seems like everywhere you go, there are a lot of BC3 grads."

Along with a new group newsletter, Pioneer Perspective, Jamieson hoped to use the raffle to spread the word about the college's new theater and other cultural offerings that "people don't have to drive to Pittsburgh for."

Booths that were new to the festival seemed to be as successful, if not more so, than the regulars.

Marty and Kathy Tack were selling body lights, pins and specially lit 3D glasses. They said they did not have time to get lunch because of the amount of attention they got.

The retired Butler couple wanted to try their luck at the festival this year. Marty Tack also served as the DJ, playing "golden oldies" for the classic car crowd.

"This was our fun thing," Kathy said. Compared with some other festivals, she liked the Fall Ethnic Festival's setup - "one straight shot" down Main Street.

Pizza Roma, near Brady Street, had opened several days earlier and seemed to benefit from the festival.

Owner Matt Sianchetti said although the restaurant has not promoted itself yet, business was doing well.

"I'd say it was busier today because of the Ethnic Festival, no matter what," he said.

The regular festival participants also had no bad news to report at this year's event.

Rick Moses, a member of the family that runs Moses Jewelers, was once again displaying his 1959 Austin Healey, a light beige car with a red stripe that was imported from England.

He said the car is in its original condition and he only put a stereo in, "buffed her up, (and) took her out."

Moses said he still drives the car, so people can see it.

No one seemed to mind the festival had been postponed from Sept. 18, the weekend when remnants of Hurricane Ivan flooded the county. Most people said they never considered not coming the second time.

Mel Gayhart and Richelle Cricks sell crafts, baby gifts and floral items every year, calling themselves "Mel and Richelle's Swell Crafts."

They said the festival was possibly more successful than in the past.

"It was better this year," Gayhart said, adding, "we always do really well. … We have people who come out every year."

She had one small complaint, however - the festival was open too late. She said in previous years, it had gone from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year, the festival was from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Gayhart said there were few people after 6 p.m.

Other than that, however, she had no complaints.

"It was very good, nice crowd, a bit breezy," Gayhart said as she summed up the day.