09/28/2026
🍂 THE DAY AFTER… 🍂
TODAY, the park is quiet again.
The vendors are gone. The music has stopped. The inflatables are down. The cars, motorcycles, baseball teams, food trucks, families and crowds have all headed home.
Where there were 110 vendors spaces marked (104 attended) and a park full of people just yesterday, there are now only a few cornstalks and parking stakes left to pick up.
And there is one very, very tired festival coordinator sitting here looking at the before-and-after pictures with an incredibly grateful heart. ❤️
The 2026 Sandborn Fall Festival is officially in the books.
This weekend was physically exhausting. At times, mentally exhausting. There are months and months of planning that go into two very full days, and no matter how much you prepare, there are always things that go exactly according to plan…and things that definitely do not. 😂
Every year when it’s over, we find ourselves saying:
“If we do it again next year, let’s try this…”
Some things we absolutely ace. Some things…not so much. We learn. We adjust. We take notes. And somehow, every year, we find another way to make this little festival bigger, better, more efficient and more enjoyable.
But standing in that empty park afterward reminds me of something important:
None of this happens without people.
To every person who came through, walked through the vendor booths, bought something from a small business, grabbed something to eat, watched a performance, brought your kids to an activity, entered the pet parade, attended the fish fry, came to church Sunday morning, admired the cars and motorcycles, watched a baseball game, took a barrel train ride, stayed for the fireworks or simply spent part of your weekend in Sandborn — THANK YOU.
To our 104 vendors who packed trailers, loaded vehicles, traveled from near and far, set up booths and trusted our little community with your weekend — thank you.
To every performer and musician who filled our park with music — Gary Phelps, Ricochet Vincennes, Mystery Train and Burning Daylight — thank you for sharing your talents with us.
To the Travis Burkhart Foundation. There was so much joy on Travis and the kids faces and it was a delight to see. To the West Family, our baseball teams and the umpires who spent both days at the fields, our car and motorcycle show crew and collectors, and everyone who provided an activity, demonstration or experience — you helped make this weekend what it was.
To James Floyd for giving us another incredible fireworks show, Sharp Trailers for our stage, and every single one of our sponsors who gave financially, donated products or services, loaned equipment, or simply said, “What do you need?” — this festival simply could not happen without you.
And then there are the people who became the hands and feet of this festival.
My husband, Steve, and my kids, who live through festival planning right alongside me and get volunteered for more jobs than they probably ever wanted. ❤️
Keith, Kathy & Kyndall Martin, Don Campbell, Julie Sanders, Ginger Kirk, Courtney Carlsen, Jerry & Kathy Bowman, Nancy & Lynn Schopmeyer, Janelle Rawles, John Streeter — and so many others who stepped in, carried something, moved something, served something, answered a question, directed someone, cleaned something up, solved a problem or simply saw something that needed done and DID IT.
There is absolutely no way I could name every person who had a hand in this weekend, and that in itself says something pretty special.
This festival is truly by the community, for the community.
Behind everything you saw this weekend were people willing to give their time, talents, equipment, money, energy and probably a little sleep to make something special happen in a very small town.
And THAT is what I am most proud of.
Was everything perfect? Nope.
Will I already have a list of things to change next year? Absolutely. 😂
Am I completely exhausted today? You bet.
But was it worth it?
Every single time. ❤️
Thank you for showing up.
Thank you for supporting our vendors.
Thank you for supporting our sponsors.
Thank you for bringing your families.
Thank you for volunteering.
Thank you for sharing our posts and inviting your friends.
Thank you for believing that a little town can still do BIG things when people come together.
From the bottom of this exhausted coordinator’s heart…
THANK YOU for another Sandborn Fall Festival. 🍁❤️
And because apparently we really are crazy enough to do it all again…
🍂 YEAR 9 — HERE WE COME! 🍂
📅 September 25–26, 2027
I’ve already got a few notes that start with:
“Next year, let’s try…” 😂❤️
See you next September, Sandborn.
