Article courtesy of The Bulletin.
Summer may be fading, but the skies are still sunny enough for short sleeves, the air is crisp, fresh, and tinged with the scent of cool nights, and the leaves are just beginning to turn. And the Bank of the Cascades Bend Fall Festival — a homey harvest celebration with good-natured competition, kid-happy fun and arts of all kinds — is the perfect way to ease the spirit into the delights of the new season. Producer Cameron Clark of C3 Events enjoys watching what the event brings to the community. “It truly feels like the locals come out to say good-bye to summer,” he said.
The annual Bank of the Cascades Bend Fall Festival, presented by The Bulletin, will take place Saturday and Sunday, October 4 and 5, and promises a fabulous array of music, art, food, and fun.
The Clear 101.7 Main Stage, located at the intersection of Bond and Oregon will highlight Intervision, El Dante and the Crazy 8's.
The PacificSource International Stage in the Wells Fargo parking lot will showcase such talent as Fire Flyte and Ubuntu as well as Shireen Amini.
As usual, dozens of talented artists will be on hand offering their work for sale. The Wall Street Jeweler Artist Promenade on Wall Street between Greenwood and Franklin will be lined by more than 100 artists selling pottery, jewelry, sculpture, photography, candles, clothing and painting.
For the fourth year in a row, visit the Souk de Fall Festival Area, located at Oregon Avenue between Wall and Brooks Street. This outdoor marketplace is a shopper’s paradise, whether you are looking for inexpensive baubles or finely-crafted textiles.
Because shopping, art perusing, and bobbing to the sounds of a variety of bands all work up a hearty appetite, the food court, located in the Wells Fargo Parking Lot with entrances on Oregon Avenue and Bond Street, will be well-stocked with culinary delights. Local restaurants such as Demetri’s, the Bend Fish Company, and Longboard Louie’s will satisfy festival-goers’ cravings.
Festival attendees who love a good contest have plenty of competition options to choose from. Culinary artists can whip up their best-ever pumpkin pie to be judged by local area master bakers. A Pumpkin Painting contest will take place Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. for competitors 17 years of age or younger, and those 18 and older can try their hand at the Pumpkin Carving contest Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Pumpkins and paint will be provided. Call (541) 948-7453 to sign-up.
The Family Harvest Area presented by Bobbie and Gregg Strome of John L. Scott Real Estate will be held at Minnesota Avenue between Wall Street and Lava Road. Headquarters for many activities for the Fall Festival’s youngest visitors, the area offers pony rides, old-fashioned hay rides, pumpkin painting and carving, apple bobbing, and Inflatable rides.
And for the health-conscious attendees at the festival — who isn’t health-conscious? — the Fall Festival boasts the Bend Memorial Clinic Health and Wellness Resource Exhibit, featuring some of Central Oregon’s finest health care professionals, who will come together to present a diverse array of health care options. Stop by for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!
Head to downtown Bend on October 4 and 5 for the Bank of the Cascades Bend Fall Festival and put your summer-end blues to rest!