Celebrate Fall in Brodhead This Saturday At AutumnFest

This Saturday is AutumnFest’s 1^st year at Veterans’ Park. It is also the first year the fest takes place on the 2^nd week of October, a date which ties in nicely with Vintage Shop Hop (VSH.) VSH is a weekend long, statewide event for shopaholics, supporting locally owned, retail. Brodhead’s Chamber of Commerce, the promoters, and organizers of AutumnFest, moved their daylong event from the historic square to Veterans’ Park to allow for more ample shopper parking downtown.

Aside from the calendar and location change many of traditional attractions return this Saturday. For kids, AutumnFest is pre-Halloween where participating businesses across the downtown open their doors offering treats to all their young guests. Keeping with the theme, a costume parade beginning at Veterans’ Park will wind its’ way through downtown and around Historic Exchange Square.

Family oriented, Autumn Fest has horse drawn wagon rides, live music, and a vendor market. 37 vendors will sell their wares and food on the Veterans’ Park grounds. Some of this year’s participants include, Crafty Crain, Up N’ Smoke Bar-B-Que, Vicky’s Craft & Things, Brodhead Optimists, and L’BRI Pure n Natural. 

All the attractions at AutumnFest are free thanks to generous support from the Brodhead Chamber of Commerce’s members like the Live Music Stage and musical acts courtesy of the Bank of Brodhead. That charity and community support is also found at a chili contest, where a donation helps the Trunk or Treat initiative October 28^th which supports area kids through the non-profit, Kid Connection. 12 chili entrants vie for prizes and bragging rights.

For the directors of Brodhead Chamber of Commerce, it is all about fostering community. AutumnFest celebrates the Fall season, the multitude of attractions, and recreational opportunities in and around Brodhead. This jewel of a Southern Wisconsin town is more than a daytrip. For hikers and bikers, Brodhead is the terminus of the Sugar River State Trail. For fans of history, Brodhead is historic architecture, the covered bridge, Exchange Square Historic District, and renowned Brodhead Historical Society with its’ depot museum, Milwaukee Road locomotive and caboose. For kayakers and fisherman Brodhead offers the Sugar River and the Pearl Island Corridor. The Chamber encourages visitors to venture outside of town to the Amish owned, Taylor Creek Produce, Raupp’s Pumpkin Patch, the Kelch Aviation Museum, and Ten Eyck Orchard. 

Lastly, the Brodhead Historical Society, which is typically closed this time of year will open its’ doors for AutumnFest. The Museum grounds border Veteran’s Park. 

Enjoy the weekend.

DETAILS:

AutumnFest takes place Saturday, October 8th from 9am to 4pm in Veteran’s Park

located at 1108 1st Center Avenue in downtown Brodhead.