Porter ready for Harvest Festival

After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Harvest Festival returns in full stride to the small town of Porter this weekend.
The event, in conjunction with the celebration of the town's 140th year of existence, will be held from Aug. 20-22.
There will events for the entire gamily this year with plenty of food, games, entertainment and fun.
New to Harvest Festival this year is a Kickball Tournament that will be held on Saturday, Aug. 21 at Schoneman Memorial Park.
This will be a co-ed, all ages tournament with nine players to a team. Admission is free and first place gets $100, second place is $75, and third place is $50.
"The kickball tournament is being added as an event to entice all ages to participate," said Josh Sumption. "We plan on weaving it in with our softball tournament as we are having a hard time securing teams for softball." The Harvest Festival parade was cancelled this year due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. The annual medallion hunt, which is also a highlight of Harvest Festival, is still on this year.
Each year, hundreds of out-of-towners join local residents to celebrate the town's celebration.
On Friday, the City-Wide Lawnmower Fun Run will begin at 6 p.m. at the park. There will also be the annual Porter Development Supper and Fundraiser at the Porter Cafe, North vs. South co-ed softball game, Senior King and Queen coronation, and more.
Check out the complete poster that is included in this issue of the Mascot.
On Saturday, there will be a wood bat softball tournament, 5k run, kiddy tractor pull, vendor and craft fair, at the Porter Hall, tractor and equipment show also features a parade of tractors around the park, mini carnival, inflatables, kids water fights, bean bag tournament, and a parking lot party and dance with a DJ.
Another new event this year is the 2-cylinder Tractor Drive. The committee encourages anyone to bring your tractor for a drive or jump on a wagon for a ride.
The wood bat softball tournament continues on Sunday, as well as church services, grilling competition, Trail Dusters Saddle Club competition and fun show, Porter Survivor competition, and the tractor drive.
There will be plenty of food available each day, too. There will be a concession stand and beer garden at the park, kettle corn and refreshments at the tractor and equipment show, a burger feed, breakfast special on Sunday at the Porter Cafe and CutLoose Bar, and old-time ice cream, homemade pie and BBQ event hosted by the Bethel Lutheran Church on Sunday.
The Ice Cream Social, which is annually held on the final days as a "wind down" to the town event, will be held from 2-5 p.m. Generally held at the church, the social will be held at the Porter Community Hall this year.
"It is air conditioned there and has a lot more room for people to space out if they would like," said Sumption.
The grilling competition will be held at the park shelter and allows visitors to purchase a plate of food with proceeds going to the Porter Senior Dining program. The cost of a plate is $10 and you can vote for the best griller. There will be 100 plates available.
"The ever-popular Omelet Feed on Saturday morning will not be taking place this year," said Sumption. "But the Porter Cafe and CutLoose Bar have stepped in and will be offering breakfast food and beverage specials.
Outdoor seating will be made available in the parking lot between the two businesses.