Rain wasn’t the only issue at Fall Festival

Last Saturday’s Fall Festival in Winsted left much to be desired, namely sunshine and a large crowd of people, but also a sense of flourishing community spirit. With clouds and rain putting a damper on most of the day, the festival ended up being, well, a bit of a dud. Those who did show up for the event had fun talking to neighbors and eating food from the small number of vendors, but the abbreviated celebration was about half as large as expected, and attendance was dismal.Rain wasn’t the only thing that kept people away. This year, the festival did not feature the annual Elks Antique and Classic Car Show, which has been a major attraction in past years. This was due to a lack of communication between festival organizers from Friends of Main Street and the local Elks Lodge. Without an early planning discussion about the festival this year, the car show, along with the Elks’ annual food booth, fell by the wayside. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, since the weather turned out poorly. Still, a number of car owners were disappointed to hear that there would be no auto show, and a large contingent of annual participants ended up staying home.The underlying lack of communication suggests an overall lack of spirit, and that is disconcerting. Friends of Main Street, in spite of its great volunteers and dedication to the community, has been deficient in the public relations department, getting information out late to the community, if at all. Without adequate promotion, Saturday’s festival was more like a residential block party with a few vendors scattered about.Meanwhile, many local businesses seem content with ignoring the idea that there is an actual business community in the downtown area. Whether it rains or not, downtown Winsted merchants should be pleased to participate in a once-a-year festival that slows down traffic on Main Street and gives people who normally wouldn’t pause a reason to stop and see what the community has to offer. When the sun is shining and everyone is on the same page, the Fall Festival can be a tremendously successful event. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case this year.While it was nice to see the familiar, smiling faces of people who did come out to support Saturday’s festival, it is the unfamiliar faces that Winsted needs to attract to its downtown shopping and eating area in order to thrive. The community needs to do more to entice young people who have spirit and energy and to come up with new ideas to inspire participation. Planning and promotion for such a mission must begin as soon as possible.If you have any new ideas, we’re happy to listen and pass them along. Send them to winstedjournal@sbcglobal.net or give us a call at 860-738-4418. Even better, stop by at our office at 396 Main St., and we’ll talk.