Every year in October, historic Franklin Street in Evansville, Indiana transforms from a bustling west side business district to a teeming smorgasbord of food booths and rides. The West Side Nut Club Fall Festival, now in its 96th year, attracts people from all over the Tri-State for food and fun.
What was conceived in 1921 as a one-day street fair has evolved into a weeklong festival for all ages. This years’ festival takes place October 2-7, 2017.
Funky Foods and Deep Fried Deliciousness
Billed as one of the oldest street festivals in the United States, the Fall Festival is widely known for its food booths. Civic organizations and philanthropic groups all put their best food forward this week with more than 130 booths. From tried-and-true festival staples to more exotic fare, there’s something for everyone at the Fall Festival.
Since Lieberman Technologies is located in downtown Evansville, we’re just minutes away from the deep-fried goodness of the Fall Festival’s west side location. Some LT staffers have already scoped out the 2017 Fall Festival Munchie Map and have planned their lunchtime excursions.
If you’ve ever been to the Fall Festival, you probably have a short list of must-haves as well as a list of curious items you want to try. We did an informal office poll and here are some of the foods we’re looking forward to at this year’s festival:
LT Fall Festival Food Poll Results
Software Engineer Brian Bates kicked off the poll with a common sentiment for many Fall Festival goers: “I’ll eat anything that others would balk at. I go for some of the stranger things or the items that just sound so crazy that they have to be tried. The Volcano Burger sounds promising.”
Sheriff Sales staffer Amanda Lewis is at the opposite end of the spectrum: “I am not usually up to trying a lot of new things. I always get a walking taco, chicken and dumplings, and cotton candy. I love the fried Twinkies. My husband is in the Nut Club and he eats everything! He loves the brain sandwiches. Gross!”
At least two LT staffers mentioned the same food from the same booth. Graphic Artist Joe Vessel and Web Specialist Dan Sullivan both specifically named the Monte Cristo sandwich from the Albion Fellows Bacon Center. Dan even went so far as to call it, “a requirement for me each year.”
Director of Web Services Andrew Epperson says, “I really want to try the deep-fried Brat on a Stick at Booth 20.” His list also includes bacon-wrapped jalapenos, jalapeno corn dogs, and bratwurst – all solid festival choices.
Web Developer Michael Lee always gets the BBQ Hash Brown Sandwich, which he describes as, “pulled pork BBQ with cheese and sour cream stuffed between two crisp hash browns.” He also wants to try the deep-fried Cajun crab cheesecake.
Managing Partner Stewart Klipsch goes for a festival staple: “Elephant ears – who doesn’t love sugar?” Echoing his choice is Motivating Systems staffer Liz Hamilton: “Funnel cakes!”
Grippos potato chips are a Southern Indiana staple, and Partner and Director of Business Development Rick Culiver is interested to try the Grippo Potato Ribbons as well as a Brat Burger, in addition to his go-to chicken and dumplings from Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
Are you hungry yet? Check out the Fall Festival website, which lists all the food and activities for this year, as well as a countdown ticker to tell you how much longer you’ll have to wait.
LT Supports Our Clients at the Fall Festival
Some of the non-profits and charitable organizations that host food booths on Franklin Street are clients of Lieberman Technologies. We proudly support them all year long, but we especially love to support them during Fall Festival week. These clients include:
- Albion Fellows Bacon Center – Booth #65
- Evansville Rescue Mission – Booth #136
- Joshua Academy – Booth #116
- SWIRCA & More– Booth #78
Getting To and From the Fall Festival
As you might imagine, Evansville’s west side gets very crowded this time of year. If you’re driving to the Fall Festival, be prepared to hunt for a parking spot. Some organizations offer paid parking at various parking lots around the festival area. If you’re going with a group, a carpool is a great idea. Or, if you’re in the downtown Evansville area, METS is offering shuttle service from the Civic Center to Franklin Street for just $1 per trip.
Share Your Lunch on Twitter and Instagram
There are a few different hashtags that people use to share their Fall Festival experience. The West Side Nut club (@westsidenutclub on Twitter) is using #96WSNCFF but most people stick to #FallFestival or #WSNCFallFestival. Our Lieberman team will be down there almost every day, so follow @TweetLTnow to see how these recomendations really play out.
Follow @tweetltnow
It’s a sure sign of fall when the food booths line Franklin Street. The money raised at these booths goes to help a variety of local causes and organizations. What a delicious way to give back!