(10/24) With summer finally at an end, the shorter, cooler days that autumn brings can now commence. Just as summertime brings the carnival season, autumn brings the season of fall festivals.
Fairfield’s "Pippinfest" kicked off the fall festival season and for months its staff meticulously planned for the throngs of thousands who would be flocking to a plethora of yard sales, crafts, and food vendors from all over the region, but what they couldn’t plan for was the remnants of Hurricane Helene that brought more than six inches of rain over the six days prior to the festival. Of course, this was better than last year, when Hurricane Ophelia brought over two inches of rain on the first day of the event.
As a result of the rain on Saturday morning, on the first day of the festival visitors were few and far between. The few festival enthusiasts that did attend in the morning were left with long walks between vendors through pools of storm water. But the clearing of the skies Saturday afternoon was all that was needed to draw out people who were tired of being cooped up from the incessant week of rain, and soon the streets of the town were overflowing.
Vendors, visitors and volunteers remained cheerful, despite the stormy conditions, and were hopeful that Sunday, the second day of the event, would bring a reprieve. Unfortunately, it did not. The return of rainy weather on Sunday dampened turn out.
Those who did brave the weather wondered about the choice to have the festival, even though it is listed as a rain or shine event. But with no rain date, it came down to vendor choice as to whether to set up or stay home. One vendor who looked at the meager crowds on Sunday said, "It is unfortunate there isn't a rain date because this is a great event, when the weather is nice. While this week was not as bad as last year’s, it’s a far cry from the turnout in prior years when the weather was nice and sunny."
"We don’t control the weather," said one event organizer, "it is what it is. We couldn’t cancel the event or give vendors refunds, as everything had already been paid for and set up, from the signs to the Port-Johns. All the costs were paid by vendor fees. So even if we cancelled, we would still have to pay those bills. So we hoped for the best. Unfortunately, sometimes we get the worst."
While some vendors didn’t do as well as they liked, the food vendors, especially the funnel cake vendor, was running a booming business, with 20 plus lined up to grab one. "Given that for many of the visitors, this will be the last time they have an opportunity to buy a funnel cake this year, few are missing the opportunity to buy one. So I’m doing okay – much better than last year where my line, at the best of times, was two people. I’ve been coming here for years and will be back next year. A little rain can’t dampen my enthusiasm for this great festival."
Planning for the 2025 Pippinfest will begin soon and hopefully the weather will cooperate and we’ll see a bigger and better event next year!
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