Rec and Sports

Enjoy The West Side Nut Club Fall Festival

Different people are reminded of many distinct things when October rolls around. Some people would immediately think of the cooler climates, the slowly falling autumn leaves of red and gold, and Halloween. But, in the Tri-State, October is known as the month wherein the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival takes place. The festival covers both sides of four city blocks for one whole week, and it brings with it the allure of food, rides and games.

The organizer of the said event is the aptly named Evansville civic organization, West Side Nut Club. The first festival was way back in 1921, but it has since become the second largest street festival of the United States. The event has also been among the top 100 for 2009 by the American Bus Association.

In the eyes of a lot of the participants, the biggest attraction of the festival is the food. See if you can imagine 126 food booths lined up along both sides of Franklin Street. Festival staples are, of course, present: corn dogs, caramel apples, hamburgers, and the like are all here. However, what makes it exciting is the fact that a lot of the booths offer food that you wouldn’t expect to see as food in a festival. Care to try some bean soup, maybe? Or fried green tomatoes, or crab Rangoon.

You may challenge your taste buds if you are feeling particularly adventurous by sampling some really exotic delicacies. Fancy some brain sandwiches? Or how about alligator stuffed potatoes? You’ll see frog legs and chocolate-covered insects, too. If you want to go to the other extreme of the spectrum, there are some safe, grease-free snacks there, too. Vegetarians can indulge themselves on all the olives, green beans and salads.

You can take a break from all the food selections and eating by talking a walk down to the crafts exhibit. You will find a lot of items there that are testament to the talented individuals from the Tri-State. There are various blown glass works, wood carvings and handmade jewelries here.