Maple Fall Fest Kick-starts the Season
The signs are unmistakable: the changing colors of the leaves, the Packers and Badgers are back on T.V., and pumpkin-spice has taken over nearly every aisle at the grocery store. With the festivities on September 17th and 18th at Wildwood Park, it’s now official: fall is here! Since 1992, the Maple Fall Fest has attracted tourists and locals alike and has kick-started this special time of year while showcasing the finest foods, crafts and activities that Marshfield and Central Wisconsin have to offer. With over 150 vendors and a variety of activities for children and adults, Maple Fall Fest brings people together like no other event in town.The crowds arrive early for the pancake breakfast that features pure Wisconsin maple syrup and Wenzel’s farm sausage and stay late into the afternoon, leaving with bags full of maple, apple and cranberry products, fall decorations and other crafts – furniture, soaps, and wool sweaters – all handmade by local artisans. This year, the performance by the Marshfield Youth Ballet highlighted the transitions of nature, while Mad Dog and Merrill, from T.V.’s Midwest Grillin’, emphasized the importance of using seasonal, local ingredients.
Although the festival ends on September 18, vendors know that their participation will generate an influx of customers through the Christmas season and beyond, either through walk-in visits to brick-and-mortar store locations, or through online orders. This is especially true for vendors who sell furniture and other large items that most festival patrons had not planned on immediately purchasing. So said Chris Vandeberg, owner of Chris Custom Cabinets, located in the Village of Hewitt (and on Facebook), who has been participating in the Maple Fall Fest since 2010. Ron Duss, of Rustic Dreams, another handcrafted furniture business, believes the festival generates positive exposure for his stunning bookcases, coffee tables, and benches, some of which are made from salvaged wood.
While many visitors are interested in furniture and seasonal decorations, the star of the festival is undoubtedly the food. The “nutman” Frank Campana, of Hubertus, sold countless bags of unique sweet, salty and spicy snacks, while Marshfield’s own Taqueira el Sol could hardly keep up with demand for their tacos and burritos. Michael and Patti Speich, whose Speichland LLC orchards is located on Plover Road in Wisconsin Rapids, stayed busy selling their hand-dipped caramel apples. The shop at their orchard is open all year, and is the perfect place to pick up a bag of fresh SnowSweet apples, which are known for their thin-skin and spritzy tartness.
But this is the Maple Fall Fest, and of course it’s all about the maple! Clifford and Nancy Patz, of Pound, were on hand to showcase their family’s passion for maple syrup and honey, while Larry and Sue Pakiz, of Greenwood, featured their sweet and spicy maple mustard, a perfect dipping sauce for pretzels and crackers. And where there’s a Wisconsin maple fest, you can be sure to find Tim Sternitzky, a.k.a. the Maple Dude, who offers a range of maple products, including maple cream and granulated maple syrup sugar.
The Maple Fall Fest generates countless customers for local and regional businesses, but as a kickoff to the fall season it also offers a peak at upcoming events in Marshfield and Central Wisconsin. The 44th Annual Warrens Cranberry Festival, in Warrens – the “Cranberry Capital of Wisconsin” – will take place on September 23-25, 2016. And here in Marshfield, the Wood County Master Gardeners, whose members combine their passion for gardening, education, and volunteerism, are looking forward to their upcoming Fall Gardening Seminar, which is open to the public and will take place on October 15, 2016, at UW Marshfield, from 8am to 12pm (there is a $10 registration fee that includes program materials and refreshments).
Once again, the Maple Fall Fest has made it easy to say goodbye to summer, and to anticipate the autumn treasures in Marshfield!
