By Greg Siems

Vision 2020 Director

As the memories of Hormel’s 125th anniversary celebration linger on, it’s already time to get excited for another great community event.

Thanks to the work of Mower Refreshed, the Downtown Retailers Association, several Vision 2020 committees, and too many other organizations to name, Saturday, Sept. 17, will mark the first annual “Harvest Fest” in Downtown Austin.

Harvest Fest will feature plenty of fun activities, contests, educational demonstrations, food vendors and more for people of all ages to enjoy. The day will kick off at 9 a.m. with the Mower Refreshed Harvest 5K Walk/Run, which is helping to raise money and donations for local food shelves. You can register ahead of time at the YMCA, or the day of the event at the Austin Municipal Pool lot from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Full information can be found at mowerrefreshed.org/harvest-5k.

The rest of the festivities will kick off at 10 a.m. All attendees can receive a “passport” that will guide you around downtown to receive stamps and participate in fun activities like canoeing, food canning, arts, and more. Be on the lookout for door prizes from our great Downtown businesses and enter your passport in drawings for a chance to win.

For more information, updates, and a full list of sponsors, check out the “Harvest Fest” event on Facebook. This event has been in the works for a long time, and it’s yet another example of the way our community comes together to promote values that we can all get behind: healthy living, shopping local, and (most importantly) having fun.

Also be sure to mark Oct. 29 on your calendar for the fourth annual Downtown Fall Fest organized by Vision 2020, which will feature a costume contest and trick-or-treating at Downtown businesses, arts and crafts activities with the ArtWorks Center, and much more. All of these events, including this year’s Harvest Fest, are free and open to everyone, so we hope you’ll join us with your family, friends, and neighbors in Downtown Austin.

And, of course, there is the ArtWorks Festival coming up soon on Aug. 27 and 28, so there is certainly no shortage of things going on here in Austin.

I know I speak for all of the volunteers and organizers of these events that we are proud of this community and the amazing things we can create together.