Princeton Hosts Annual Festival

The Festival welcomed in the beginning of cooler weather.

Photo By Bailey Pace

    Certain trees seem to go earlier than others. In the middle of September, while the thermostats still linger around eighty degrees, the very tips of the leaves pick up a gentle yellow hue. Gentle yellows soon turn to fiery oranges, and soon their lustrous foliage falls to the pavement. You may have seen it blow across your path as you tread along the sidewalks. Your social media is being stormed by spicy pumpkins and reminders that autumn is officially here, despite the continuation of summer’s weather patterns. And with autumn comes everyone’s favorite activities.

     You may have already begun finding your perfect carving pumpkin, but do not forget to enjoy a hayride and some hot apple cider. You can also snuggle up and watch classics like “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and “Corpse Bride.” Or maybe you’ve been planning to attend a Fall Festival. 

    Last weekend, Princeton hosted its annual AutumnFest. The Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce’s AutumnFest takes place every year on the last Saturday of September. This year’s AutumnFest was the 11th year of this fall tradition. It is a one-day celebration of the season. This includes but is not limited to: food, music, and tons of fun activities.

    It took place over the weekend and, according to wvexecutive.com, was set up, “Along Mercer Street, in the heart of Princeton’s downtown. The festival incorporates a five-block stretch of Mercer Street in downtown Princeton.” It began around ten o’clock and included a consistent line up of fun fall activities. There was a magnificent marching band from Princeton Senior High School. They performed for an eager crowd that brought an exciting energy to the performance. All members of the band seemed to be well practiced and confident, which added to the quality of the performance. 

    There was also a 5K run, for which the weather was perfect, and the Princeton AutumnFest Classic Car Show. There were muscle cars, retro cruisers, and vintage classics. The Veterinary Associates Fun Dog Show, which featured some truly adorable pups in their finest garb, was also held during the Festival.

    There were also fantastic foods. Other than the food vendors, who each had delicious menus, there was the Great Pumpkin Cook-off. The cook-off featured every pumpkin dish imaginable. If those aromas were not enough to get your mouth watering, there were also live apple-butter-making demonstrations that exuded one of the most heavenly scents. 

    Live music was featured all day which meant you could jam out to some sweet tunes while enjoying a seasonal beverage. It was also perfect to listen to while the kids had fun getting their faces painted, participating in a pumpkin pie eating contest, bouncing around in the jump houses, and getting crafty in the pumpkin decorating contest. 

    You also had the opportunity to meet the newly crowned Miss Princeton AutumnFest and her court. They were all smiles as they met their community and helped out with many of the activities. And you may have even seen Concord University’s booth along Mercer Street. Volunteers gave out freebies and interacted with the happy crowds. 

    For more information about all the fun, contact the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce office at (304) 487-1502 or visit the Chamber’s website at www.pmccc.com and check out the great pictures taken. To find out the winners of the pumpkin pie eating, the pumpkin decorating contest, and more, you can also check out the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce and AutumnFest on Facebook.