Fall Festival is planned

In an effort to increase traffic to Custer on the Saturday after the annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup, the Custer Area Chamber of Commerce plans to hold a Fall Festival that day, Sept. 25. The chamber invites Custer businesses, organizations, groups, committees and individuals to join them in planning fall-themed events and activities.
The chamber is working with the Farmer’s Market at Way Park and has invited various arts and crafts vendors to come to the park that day for a small arts and  crafts festival. The chamber plans to have a booth there and have some fall games set up for children, such as pumpkin bowling, pumpkin tic-tac-toe, etc.
The first few years of Custer Restaurant Week, the chamber held a sip-and- paint class, and that could be a part of the Fall Festival.
The chamber is also in the early stages of organizing a scarecrow scavenger hunt and a scarecrow decorating contest. Businesses are encouraged to sign up for one or both of the activites. The scarecrows will encourage visitors to stop into businesses to find the scarecrows (which will be provided). Prizes will be awarded. Deadline for the contest is Sept. 20.
Other ideas are pumpkin painting or a pumpkin craft, a 5K fun run, hay rides, a hay maze, cornhole tournament, guided hikes or an art walk—anything with a fall twist.
Restaurants could offer fall specials such as pumpkin and apple-flavored foods and drinks, which the chamber would help promote.
If you have an idea of something you would like to do for the Fall Festival or your business would like to host an event for the day, contact chamber director Dolsee Davenport at 673-2244 or at  ddavenport@custersd.com or chamber events coordinator Dawn Murray at the same number or dmur
ray@custersd.com.