The fall festivals for Qulin, Fisk, Broseley and Van Buren occur during the month of October.
Qulin’s festival is Saturday; Broseley’s event will be Oct. 16; and Van Buren’s will cover two days, Oct. 9-10.
Qulin’s festival kicks off with a parade at 9:30 a.m. beginning on Fifth Street. Several contests are planned, such as a Worst Baking Contest, for adults and children.
The Lion’s Club will have its homecoming dinner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The dinner will be at the Qulin Lion’s Club at Highway 53 and Fifth Street. The menu will be fried chicken, potatoes, green beans, salad, macaroni and cheese and beets. Desserts and drinks will also be provided. Cost will be $10 for adults and $5 for children (ages 5-12).
“The Lion’s help children and adults who cannot afford to buy glasses. In the past few years, they have also begun to help with diabetes and hearing issues,” said Linda Sedrick, an organizer of the dinner.
Children’s events and a cornhole contest are planned. A pageant is also part of the day’s events.
Broseley’s Oct. 16 festival schedule begins with a breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Craft vendors will need to be set up by 9 a.m. The parade will be at 10 a.m. Around 10:30 a.m., lunch will be served. Light music will be provided. Children 10 years and younger may participate in a money scramble. One hundred dollars in various denominations of change will be hidden in dispersed bales of hay.
“Many people who grew up here and moved away will come back for the festival. Attendance is usually very good,” Carol Brotherton, director of the event said.
Children may also enjoy the bounce house.
Van Buren’s Fall Festival has many activities.
Crystal Johnson wears at least two hats by acting as the farmer’s market director and the fall festival director. The Rev. David Truncone, pastor at the First Assembly of God in Van Buren, is the co-director of the festival, while people in the city have helped.
“We are understanding the city has reached out to us because they are getting an overwhelming number of calls for places to stay. We are working with some representatives of Poplar Bluff’s chamber and different surrounding communities that are stepping up to help us with such a big event, and we are in the process of getting all of those things organized and worked out,” Johnson said.
She said they were working with Air BnB’s so they can create a list with prices.
Truncone said that so far, they have 60 vendors.
“Seventy are confirmed and then another 30 to 35 that are not confirmed yet, but are planning on coming. We just have not received the paperwork yet,” Truncone said.
Saturday’s events run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We’ll have food vendors, live music. Some gospel bands are coming, and some bigger gospel bands too. Austin Neil is coming in, who is a local favorite,” Johnson said.
She said the event is growing huge. The vendors that come have handcrafted things.
Other activities include a car cruise, petting zoo, horseback rides, pumpkin painting, face painting and hay rides.
“We are very family-friendly, and there will be hayrides. We have two locations. Those hayrides connect both locations. One is at the church, where our farmer’s market is, First Assembly of God, as well as Pop’s Antiques and Fleas,” Johnson said.
“We are still here, you know. There were a lot of questions about if we were going to do it too because of this tragedy (at The Landing), and the truth is we’re going to do it too because of this tragedy, and the trust is we’re going Van Buren strong. That’s our saying. So we’re gonna push through and offer what we think we have to offer,” Truncone said.