September 20, 2021

Harvest Fest proceeds going to first responders

By DUSTY DAVIS

Jackie Anderson participates in an impromptu tractor pull on a child-sized tractor following the kid's tractor pull during Harvest Fest 2020 in Cromwell. This year, proceeds from the event go to local first responders. (Contributed photo by Linda Buxton)

CROMWELL—The fifth annual Harvest Fest will commence Sept. 10 — 12 and will feature a bags tournament, truck pull, beer garden and more. Organizer Levi Buxton said the event began as an opportunity for fundraising and community fellowship.

“It kinda started grassroots from a group of guys that wanted to promote some fundraising activities for our everybody and everybody can come on and have a good time, and in return, we donate money back to the Veterans’ Honor Flight, we donated to the Cromwell community, we donated money to some people that have been fighting some medical bill problems, charitable donations, we’ve given money out for scholarships...,” Buxton said.

Harvest Fest is in it’s fifth consecutive year, with a smaller event last year with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Attendance is really good, now last year with COVID, we had a really condensed event, but nonetheless, we had an event,” Buxton said.

Attendance has grown every year, with last year being the exception, and Buxton hopes to see Harvest Fest bounce back in full force.

“I think that we’ve grown every year, I think that year two and three were pretty well neck-and-neck, of course last year was a little bit down with COVID, but this year we expect to be back to normal,” he said.

The Midwest Pullers Association (MPA) will be conducting a truck pull on 2 p.m. Saturday. For a fee, Buxton said, anyone can pull alongside them.

“Now you can pull with those guys, but you have to pay an additional fee if you’re not in the association,” he said

However, the tractor show will be provided by another outside organization that will be carried out by themselves.

“But as far as the tractor show goes, there’s no real additional fee, that’s just a group out of Diagonal called Farm Fresh Tractors, they’re more of your farm tractors that are going to pull on Sunday,” Buxton said.

Music will be provided by Briggs Family Bluegrass Band, from New Virginia, on Saturday and an in-house DJ on opening night.

A beer garden will also be present throughout each day of the festival, featuring Miller products provided by Southwest Distributing.

Buxton said Harvest Fest is a free event outside of concessions.

“Everything’s free except for the food and drinks there, but all the events to get in are free,” he said.

Buxton also said donations this year will be going to first responders.

For more information, visit the Cromwell Harvest Fest facebook page or email Harvest Festcromwell@gmail.com.