"We want to show off what Siloam Springs has to offer to Northwest Arkansas," says Lauren Huffman, director of downtown development and promotion for Main Street Siloam Springs.
Huffman and her team think the second annual Homegrown Festival will do just that.
FAQ
Homegrown Festival
WHEN — 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
WHERE — On South Broadway Street and East Main Street, near Twin Springs Park in downtown Siloam Springs
COST — Free
INFO — 524-4556
FYI
Hometown Throw Down
The city of Siloam Springs has planned the Hometown Throw Down in conjunction with the Homegrown Festival. The event will kick off with a country-style dance from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with music by The Old 78s. The throwdown will conclude with a movie,”Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971), in Twin Springs Park about 8 p.m. INFO — 236-0921.
The event, which showcases local, handmade goods and original, one-of-a-kind and limited-run items, will take over downtown Siloam Springs on Saturday.
Regional vendors, such as Fayetteville's Hill City Popcorn and Bentonville's Pink House Alchemy, will join Siloam Springs vendors, such as Hazel Valley Handmade and Of Thistle and Thyme, to sell their wares.
The first festival, which was created by a group of Siloam Springs residents, took place last spring during Dogwood Days. The group approached Main Street Siloam Springs to collaborate on this year's festival, Huffman says. Moving it to fall and giving it its own identity were the first steps.
"The festival was created to get more people into downtown Siloam Springs," Huffman says. "Also, the original organizers either graduated from John Brown University or work there, so we decided to move the festival to the university's homecoming weekend.
"While we are building this event, we'd like people who are still coming back to Siloam Springs to know we are doing things like this," she adds.
The festival may not always be during homecoming weekend, but Huffman says Main Street Siloam Springs wants it to always be a fall event.
The city of Siloam Springs is piggybacking on the festival and has created its own event to follow the festival. Hometown Throw Down will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a street dance and conclude later that night after a viewing of "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" (1971) in Twin Springs Park.
Also before the festival begins, the farmers market will be open in Twin Springs Park, Huffman says. The farmers market usually takes place at City Park.
"We just hope people come out to Siloam Springs and see there's more to Siloam Springs than 412," Huffman says.
-- Kelly Barnett
kbarnett@nwadg.com
NAN What's Up on 10/02/2015