Hundreds of citizens descended upon Becker City Park Saturday for the BCC’s 7th annual October Harvest Fest.
The weather was ideal as temperatures were in the upper 60’s and lower 70’s throughout the festival and the sun was shining all day.
The event kicked off with the 5K walk/run through the scenic wooded 100-acre trails at City park. Many people dressed run-friendly while others wore costumes and fall, Halloween and harvest attire.
A 1K fun run was offered for youth 12 and under.
Participants in the races registered at 9 a.m., paid their $25 and received a free burgundy and gold-colored T-shirt. Racers were encouraged to bring a non-perishable food shelf item to be donated to the Becker Food Shelf.
All the while the race was going on, the park alongside and behind the pavillion was full of entertainment and fun for adults and kids of all ages. There were games, inflatables, face painting and prize giveaways.
Mayoral hopeful Tracy Bertram and her husband, Mark, manned a booth at the event in which children bought a ticket and were given 30 seconds to scrounge through piles of dry hay to find prizes and candy buried beneath.
There was also Ping Pong games, marble games and “guess the size of the pumpkin” games.
There were also hayrides and pony rides from 11 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Nix Restaurant provided chili for the event and many other area businesses and individuals volunteered to help with the annual event.
“It was a beautiful day and it certainly seemed busier than it was last year,” said Program Supervisor Jessica Huettl. “I’d say we saw about 500 or more people there.”
Huettl said nearly 45 people participated in the day’s races. Medals were awarded to the top three male and female finishers per age category (six categories) and a trophy was handed out for the top team finisher.
