Mountain Home, Idaho celebrates the end of the harvest season with an annual festival every October. The 17th Annual Fall Harvest Festival was held on October 5th, 2013. The BondyWeb.Com went to it and this my review.
The Great, the Bad and the Ugly Harvest
I parked in downtown Mountain Home around 12:15PM or about 2 hours after the Harvest Festival kicked-off. The crowds didn’t appear to be as big as last year but what would they expect without any true local promotion on the internet?
I parked in downtown Mountain Home around 12:15PM or about 2 hours after the Harvest Festival kicked-off. The crowds didn’t appear to be as big as last year but what would they expect without any true local promotion on the internet?
My 1st stop was the new fly fishing shop in town called Off The Hook Fly Fishing. Always fun to stop in to get some tips on where the trout are biting. I wasn’t disappointed but will let you stop in this shop to get the latest info. No really, do it!
Address: 310 E 2nd N St, Mountain Home, ID 83647
Address: 310 E 2nd N St, Mountain Home, ID 83647
I walked all the streets where booths and vendors were set up. Maybe it was the cool weather or maybe no one knew about the 2013 Harvest Festival but there were very few booths and vendors this year. Really disappointing for me as I enjoy all these entrepreneurs selling their stuff.
There were a few new and memorable booths but for the most part, the vendors were either the same as last year or the usual “farmers market” vendors. I was asked a number of times if I knew where the Dinner with a Farmer and scarecrow contest was located. I didn’t and neither did most people. Never a good sign when “the crowd” cannot find events in our downtown area.
Food For “Scarce-Crows?
Food is one of those things people look forward to when going to any festival but when it’s a “harvest festival”, I envision foods of all kinds, especially with a local flavor. But that wasn’t the case at this festival…Food vendors were scarce. Obviously not the organizers fault but you’d think local restaurants would make an strong showing. And where was that “Dinner for a Farmer” event anyway?
Food is one of those things people look forward to when going to any festival but when it’s a “harvest festival”, I envision foods of all kinds, especially with a local flavor. But that wasn’t the case at this festival…Food vendors were scarce. Obviously not the organizers fault but you’d think local restaurants would make an strong showing. And where was that “Dinner for a Farmer” event anyway?
The highlight of the day was my second food truck experience ever. The first food truck I ever ate at was a mobile taco stand in downtown Boston, MA back in 2007 and it was excellent. With the lack of food vendors at the 2013 Mountain Home Harvest Festival, I decided to splurge and eat at Cacicia’s (Kah-She-Shuhs) Old World Sicilian Food Truck that was here for the event. (http://www.cacicias.com/) I had their Festival Special Called “Blu Cheese Philly Steak Sandwich”. It was tasty but a little more Philly steak would have made it worth the $8.50 price tag.
Been Here Before and Reviewed It Before
I complained the City of Mountain Home didn’t promote the October 5th 2013 Fall Harvest Festival in my previous post. So I decided someone should care enough to review this event…an event I reviewed back in 2010 at this link:
http://bondyweb.com///idaho-business-news/51-local-business/367-fall-harvest-festival-mountain-home-idaho-style
I complained the City of Mountain Home didn’t promote the October 5th 2013 Fall Harvest Festival in my previous post. So I decided someone should care enough to review this event…an event I reviewed back in 2010 at this link:
http://bondyweb.com///idaho-business-news/51-local-business/367-fall-harvest-festival-mountain-home-idaho-style
Chamber of Commerce Fails Too
The Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2013 Fall Harvest Festival and their local on-line promotion was almost as underwhelming as that found on the city website. F.A.I.L
The Scorecard – 5 Stars or Worse
Festival Food: 1 Star
Festival Entertainment: 4 Stars
Festival Booths or Vendors: 2 Stars
Festival Food: 1 Star
Festival Entertainment: 4 Stars
Festival Booths or Vendors: 2 Stars
Overall 2013 Harvest Festival Rating: 2 Stars
Thanks for reading and come back soon.
Tim Bondy / BondyWeb.Com