Vendors set up shop all across downtown Bowling Green Saturday for the annual Harvest Festival.
Crowds of people filed in throughout downtown Bowling Green, starting at around 11 a.m. Community businesses, restaurants and clubs lined the streets as people entered and exited their stores. Smoke from food trucks left a hazy atmosphere, filling the area with smells of kettle korn, tacos and more.
The event lasted five hours across multiple locations. Attendees walked the streets of Fountain Row, with some taking shelter in the shade. Cash Sponsors like Warren County Public Library, Allstate and Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana — among others — helped make the event possible.
Autumn Harbison, a 39-year-old resident of Bardstown, set up shop on College Street. She was with Susie’s Crafts and More, selling various items, such as jewelry and dishware, made from repurposed items.
She said this was her second year at the Harvest Festival. She said the weather and “good vibes” drew a large crowd with lots of smiles.
“Even people who have walked by and not stopped have smiled,” Harbison said.
Nearby Harbison’s shop, Warren County Parks and Recreation, set up to show off their “Bicycle Co-op.” They were located on the painted track next to the parking structure off of College Street, which acted as a course for kids to try out different bikes.
“It (the Bicycle Co-op) is a fully functioning bicycle repair shop, and we offer every repair available at a sliding scale so absolutely anyone in the community can get their bike repaired at no cost if need be,” Ryan Patte, the special projects coordinator for WCPR, said.
Patte could be seen taking kids for a spin on a side-by-side tandem bike while others skittered around the track, weaving in and out of traffic.
“We have everything out so we can show everybody what kind of stuff we have to offer,” Patte said.
In Circle Square Park, activities were everywhere. Kids could get their faces painted, launch rubber ducks into a pool or enter a smoke maze set up by the Bowling Green Fire Department. Kids played tag and jumped on hay bales near the center of the park, often dancing to the music that played throughout.
Megaphones periodically announced a “Pumpkin Drop” throughout the event. Families and kids gathered around a Bowling Green Fire Truck, which hoisted two firemen into the air, and after a countdown from 10, the pumpkins were released and smashed into the ground.
Bands and singers were also invited, with Louisville band Requiem playing at the SOKY Ice Rink at the start of the event. Their discography consisted of metal and rock music which some kids gathered to dance to.
“We’ve seen all kinds of families, dogs — we even saw one cat,” Hattie Hines, 37 year-old Bowling Green resident said. “Everybody’s just having a good time here.”
