Evansville's biggest event of the year will be here next week, so let's dive into what Mother Nature has up her sleeve for the big week!
The West Side Nut Club Fall Festival is an Evansville tradition dating back over 100 years. According to the West Side Nut Club, the very first Fall Festival wasn't even a week-long event, it was a one-night event billed as a Halloween Carnival.
We can't even say the Fall Festival grew from "humble beginnings" because the very first one had a crowd of 25,000 people!
The first West Side Nut Club Fall Festival was billed as a Halloween Night, Halloween Carnival, masked ball and even one Nut Clubber compared it to the Mardi Gras. The event was a one night affair and consisted of a parade of costumed people that started at 8:00 p.m. followed by a Halloween Mask Ball lasting until 11:30. The crowd was estimated at 25,000.
That Halloween Carnival eventually became the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival we know and love today. These days the Fall Festival draws in more than 200,000 people annually! It's hard to ignore the massive impact this festival has on our community.
So what is the weather looking like for the week of October 7th through 12th when thousands of people flock to Evansville's west side? Well good news, it's looking like it might actually feel like fall during the Fall Festival!
If you're from here, you know that Southern Indiana weather at the beginning of October can be quite fickle. I've been to many Fall Festivals where I have sweat my butt off walking around and had to wear shorts and a tank top because highs were in the upper 80s. So not very "fall" like weather. I've also been to the Fall Festival when it's been cold and rainy. So it's kind of hard to guess what the weather will be for the big week.
Thankfully we have meteorologists to take the guesswork out of it for us! This morning (October 2nd) we spoke with our good friend Joe Bird from Eyewitness News who said that the Fall Festival forecast is shaping up to be a beautiful week with little to no rain chances, and temps in the 70s! So basically, we are looking at a delightful fall-like week of weather!
The 7-day forecast from Eyewitness News shows the beginning of Fall Festival week looking amazing with a high of 71 on Monday and 72 on Tuesday and sunshine. Of course, this is just the forecast as of today October, 2nd, so it can change. However, when I found a 10-day forecast online, it's looking like sunny and 70s are where we will be for the Fall Festival next week!
Keep an eye on Eyewitness News for any changes to the Fall Festival forecast, but so far it's looking like next week is going to be perfect for walking around Franklin Street and enjoying some delicious food!