Uptown Fall Fest leaves people wanting more
Photo by CHANSE WATSON Dylon Beckedahl drives the hayride tractor during the first Uptown Kellogg Fall Festival. The day-long event saw roughly 500-600 people attend to partake in the seasonal fun.
Photo by CHANSE WATSON Lisa Beaman supervises the Hula-Hoop toss game at the Fall Festival. The event boasted nine different carnival style games on top of other activities provided by the uptown businesses.
KELLOGG — Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it appears a successful block party can be planned in a month.
On Oct. 5, the newly formed Kellogg Uptown Business Association hosted its first Fall Festival on McKinley Avenue and Main Street.
Based on the solid turnout of roughly 500-600 people and a ton of positive input, event organizer and Knotty Ridge Creations owner Jessica Cochrane is more than satisfied with this first run of the festival.
“For the time that we had to plan it and getting everybody together … I think it was a huge success and all the feedback I’ve gotten was wonderful,” she said.
Cochrane was the one who first came up with the idea to have the event roughly a month before it was held. She then pitched it to Lisa’s Gems of the Silver Valley owner Lisa Beaman and the two worked to get other uptown business owners on board.
“Within about 24 hours (of coming up with the idea), we had drew up a plan and everybody pitched in when needed,” Cochrane said. “From marketing and advertising to just getting the word out there, I think it blew up really fast.”
With nearly every uptown business agreeing to participate, the new business association was able to create an event that was fun for the whole family.
Booths with local vendors and carnival games stretched down the street from roughly middle Third Street to Main Street. With some help from Pinterest, Beaman was able to create nine separate games and give each a seasonal twist.
For example, the standard ring toss game with bottles and rings was replaced with Hula-Hoops and pumpkins.
Attendees were also able to visit the many shops that lined the festival. Many of these shops held their own activities like guessing the number of items in a jar or sidewalk chalk drawing.
As the one who started it all, it’s only natural that Cochrane and her family would be some of the most involved with putting everything on. Her fiancé, Dylon Beckedahl, was tasked with operating her grandfather’s tractor for hayrides. Her parents also contributed by paying for the day’s live musical talent that performed in front of the Kellogg Elks building.
Cochrane herself is taking all the money Knotty Ridge Creations made on Saturday and putting it toward the next Uptown Business Association festival and event.
While Cochrane and Beaman did a lot to make the event what it was, they’ll be the first to say that it was a team effort.
“I really want to thank the community, the sponsors and all the businesses that participated in the event,” Cochrane said.
“Everyone got together and did something,” Beaman added.
With a successful first event under its belt, the Uptown Business Association is looking forward to not only hosting another Fall Festival next year, but also a much sooner holiday festival toward the end of 2019.
While details aren’t available at this time, Beaman hopes to light up downtown during the event to spur more people to come up and check out the area.