MT. VERNON - The Southern Illinois Harvest Festival is out, and the Mt. Vernon Fall Fest is in after a group of residents are starting the new non-profit group to replace the former festival incarnation. “We are working to make it a bigger and better event with lots of advance planning,” fest committee vice-chairman Hank Villani said. “The Harvest Festival was just too much for one person to do. We’re putting together a volunteer board, and yes, we will need workers, but we also need people with ideas.”
Villani has started working on the legal paperwork to file for non-profit status. The president of the newly-formed fest committee is Todd Piper. “We want to do this well, and make it something special for Mt. Vernon and the area,” Piper said. Villani said plans underway now are calling for live entertainment and a children’s area in addition to a parade and other events which have been successful for festivals in the King City during the past years. full story
