ELY— More than 120 craft and food vendors will be on hand here, at Whiteside Park, this weekend as the 32nd annual Harvest Moon Festival gets underway on Friday, Sept. 11. And the weather forecast suggests fall will be in the air.
The festival, which runs through Sunday, will feature several vendors who lost their opportunity to participate in Blueberry Fest after its cancellation due to the July 6 wildfires.
Vendors will include jewelers, woodcrafters, clothing designers, fiber artists and more, according to Kristen Switajewski, event director for the Ely Chamber of Commerce.
“Stop and grab a festival map, figure out which way you would like to go, because there’s a lot to see and take in,” Switajewski said. “Go find that artwork for your mantle or your closet.”
Festival maps will also show businesses in the area that are hosting deals, discounts and activities, such as Ely Folk School, which is hosting blacksmithing lessons and music on Friday and Saturday, as well as a barn dance Saturday evening at 7 p.m.
The festival will have a variety of food vendors. Local favorites, like Becky’s Oriental, will be joined by vendors from around the state, such as Rose Cottage Bakery, of Cook, which will offer sweet and savory croissants, and KJ’s Kitchen, of Duluth, which will offer classic street and birria tacos.
Art and craft vendors at the festival will be open Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with food vendors operating from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sunday, both food and craft vendors will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The festival is expected to draw more than 15,000 attendees over the course of the weekend, a significant benefit to the area after the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness closure earlier this summer cut into annual revenue for many businesses in the area.