The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

Downtown Fall Festival celebrates area diversity

Kevin Gisi

They say third time’s a charm. Well, it was for me, in any case.

I’ve been trying to attend the International Fall Festival (IFF) ever since my freshman year experience mentor took my FYE class to it. Unfortunately, I missed that experience and went home that weekend, as well as the following year. So this year, I was more determined than ever to go and explore.

IFF has been a part of the community for 32 years, said Jessica Cather, Downtown Communications and Promotions Coordinator for Downtown Eau Claire Incorporated. However, DECI has only run the event for the past seven.

So on Saturday, I went downtown with high hopes, decent walking shoes and an empty stomach, ready to experience all that the IFF had to offer.

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Entertainment and vendors

It’s relatively easy to draw a crowd in with the promise of a good show and then, well, fail miserably.

IFF did the complete opposite. Shows went on at the Barstow Street Bridge, the Xcel Energy World Stage and by the Federal building. My favorite, by far, would have to be Larry Yazzie, Native Pride Dancer.

The costumes and music were beautiful, and Yazzie established a rapport with the crowd while getting audience members to join him for a dance. My only regret was that I couldn’t videotape the event and dance myself.

Other performers that day included the Eau Claire Belly Dancers, several martial arts demonstrations by local academies and Community Television’s talent competition. These local performers proved just how talented the people of the Eau Claire area are.

Not to mention university involvement, with students participating in the Parade of Nations and the Blugold Marching Band making an impressive appearance.

And they made me realize how badly I want to learn to belly dance, play the drums or karate chop someone. I’ll put those on my to-do list.

Other than the vendors, downtown stores opened their doors to the masses. Not only was this a great business opportunity for them, but it also offered me an opportunity to explore previously uncharted areas of the downtown as I walked up and down the street.

I know that I’m going all out with the compliments, but I mean it – I was impressed. I especially had a good experience with the vendors, with some of them going above and beyond for me.

For example, at one craft booth, one local artist didn’t have a piece I was looking for. So, when she heard what I hoped to find, she offered to connect me to another artist who could help me outside of IFF. That, to me, goes beyond typical vendor friendliness; she couldn’t guarantee that she was going to get me to purchase something from her and helped me anyway.

Food

Naturally, food gets its own section. At the beginning of my day at IFF, my roommate who accompanied me on this adventure agreed to split everything because we decided to try everything. So, we found everything – from Cuban pork to gyros to curry to a Wisconsin favorite, cheese curds – and by the end of the day, we decided never to eat anything other than celery again.T

That didn’t last too long.

However, it was really nice to see cuisine at a Midwestern festival that wasn’t, well, just cheese curds. And finding Indian food was such a perk because I would really like to see an Indian restaurant in Eau Claire.

On the other hand, I would love to see even more ethnic foods next year (hint, hint).

Overall

IFF is easily one of my favorite events in Eau Claire, and I’m looking forward to it next year. One unique and new feature that will be changing, Cather said, is how sustainable the fair is. Next year, all vendors are required to use compostable items.

Basically, the festival is going green and celebrating the diversity of the area. What more do you need to have a good time in Eau Claire?

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Downtown Fall Festival celebrates area diversity