Fall Festival returns to Landis
Published 11:44 pm Monday, October 2, 2017
LANDIS — After nearly a decade, the Landis Fall Festival is back.
Town Manager Reed Linn said Monday the town used to have several festivals throughout the year, including Heritage Day and the Fall Festival.
He said the Fall Festival in particular drew large crowds — an estimated 6,000 people over the course of the all-day event.
But Linn said that because of a number of factors — including reduced participation from sponsors and budget cuts from a previous Board of Aldermen — the town had to discontinue the festivals in the late 2000s.
Now the current board has decided to bring the Fall Festival back. Linn said that, so far, he’s heard nothing but positive feedback.
“We’ve got a tons of sponsors, we’ve got some good feedback from it and we think it’s going to be a good event,” Linn said.
Some of the sponsors include Pinnacle Corrugated LLC, Parkdale Mills and “most every business downtown,” Linn said. He said the festival also has several sponsors from outside Landis.
The all-day festival will be Oct. 21 in downtown Landis. It will begin at 10 a.m. with a 5K run organized by the fire and parks and recreation departments. Linn said it will go through the southwestern part of town and will be followed with a lunch for participants.
At 5 p.m., children’s Trunk or Treat will take place in the 100 block of South Central Avenue. There will also be food trucks and a deejay playing beach music. It will be put on by the fire, police and public works departments.
From 7 to 10 p.m., live bands will play for a street dance. The headline band will be Darrell Harwood, who will play from about 8 to 10 p.m.
The 100 block of North Central Avenue, the 100 block of South Central Avenue and the 200 block of East Garden Street will be closed from 4 to 11 p.m. for the festival.
Alderman Dennis Brown said he had heard “a lot of people” expressing excitement about the return of the Fall Festival.
“And I’m glad myself to see it,” Brown said. “People are looking for things like that, and I’m glad that we’re able to provide that for our citizens.”
Mayor Mike Mahaley asked people — especially those who had come to previous Fall Festivals — to keep in mind that this is “a beginning.”
“You know, we used to have some really big thing,” Mahaley said. “But people seem to be excited for it. I’m looking forward to it.”
He finished his statement by asking people to bring lawn chairs if they’re going to watch the performances.
“But if you’re going to dance all night, you don’t have to bring it along,” he said, to laughter in the audience.
Other items on the agenda included:
• The board approved two voluntary annexations — one on Bonita Drive and one near Lake Corriher Wilderness Area.
The lot on Bonita Drive is owned by Patrick Blackwelder, who wants to build a home on the property and live in Landis.
The lot near Lake Corriher has already been used as part of the Lake Corriher Wilderness Area and has several trails running through it, according to Linn.
Both lots border the city limits.
• Approved Apple House Realty to sell surplus town property given by the D.C. Linn family.
After looking at a number of Realtors, town staff decided that Apple House Realty “would be the best for the town,” Linn said.
Mahaley said he’d heard the company is “very reputable.”
• Approved making four police vehicles surplus property.
Three of them are standard Ford Crown Victoria vehicles. The fourth — a Bobcat — is a “unique situation,” Linn said.
“They got the Bobcat specifically to patrol the area around the Lake Corriher park. And it’s kind of … it’s too big to get back in on the trails,” Linn said.
Linn asked on behalf of Police Chief K.G. Isenhour that the board give the department some leeway as it chooses a new vehicle to trade in for the Bobcat.
Linn said the department wants an electric motorcycle or trail bike, which would allow them to patrol “quickly and efficiently and quietly.”
Contact reporter Jessica Coates at 704-797-4222.