Downtown Talent will be filled with the lively sights on Saturday
By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times
Downtown Talent will be filled with the lively sights, sounds and smells of fall this October as the annual Talent Harvest Festival returns with lots to do, see and taste.
Boasting over 150 vendors, four different stages for live music and countless activities and games, the event is estimated to bring out 6,000-plus visitors from all around Southern Oregon.
“It feels like a massive block party that takes over the downtown footprint of Talent,” said Ana Byers, Talent city councilor and event coordinator for the festival.
“I think that when you gather people for something like this, it underlines how similar we all are, and it’s so wonderful to have that experience and have fun with thousands of other people wanting a joyful day with you. It’s powerful, and it’s free,” Byers added.
The Talent Harvest Festival will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, throughout downtown Talent.
The event will have dozens of things to check out including: a vendor market, multiple food trucks and beer gardens, live music, Talent Maker City tours, the Talent Library’s book sale, the first-ever pet parade, face painting, lawn games, arts and crafts, prize wheels and more.
“We have really incredible artists selling fine art there, and we also have amazing jewelers bringing their wares and incredible food vendors — when I say food vendors I don’t mean food trucks, it’s produce you can take home,” Byers said. “There are so many amazing, talented folks in the region, and (the festival) is such a great way to highlight that innovation and skill.”
Prior to the event, the Talent Harvest Festival 5K and 10K races, hosted by the Southern Oregon Runners, will run from 8 to 10 a.m. Oct. 5.
To sign up for one of the runs, visit runsignup.com/Race/OR/Talent/TalentHarvestFestival.
The registration fee for the 5K race is $20, $25 for the 10K race.
To take part in the inaugural pet parade, register at bit.ly/3XR7AkQ; registration is $10.
“I love that, both in Oregon and especially in Talent, we are such a pet-friendly collective,” Byers said.
Registration fees for the pet parade will benefit Friends of the Animals, a local nonprofit that aims to improve the quality of life for animals at the Jackson County Animal Shelter and across Southern Oregon communities.
This year’s festival is being produced by the Talent Business Alliance, along with the city of Talent and other local organizations.
The event was run by a volunteer committee before the COVID-19 pandemic and Almeda Fire disrupted efforts to put the festival on.
“The city has not yet convened a volunteer committee for that planning purpose. It takes a lot of time and energy to be in the community and make that happen,” Byers said.
For the time being, organization of the festival will run through the Talent Business Alliance, which supports and advocates for businesses, micro-enterprises and economic vitality in Talent.
“It’s such a key part to our identity as Talent and the only harvest festival in the Southern Oregon region,” Byers said, adding, “it’s the kickoff of fall for a lot of the community around here.”
There will be multiple street closures in Talent during the festival, including East Main Street from the Talent Avenue intersection to the Front Street intersection, Market Street from the Wagner Street intersection to the Lapree Drive intersection and John Street from the Wagner Street intersection to the East Main Street intersection.
Parking is available throughout the city at Ray’s Food Place, the Seiber Street parking lot, Talent Elementary School and Talent Middle School.
For more information about the festival, see cityoftalent.org/community-engagement-outreach/page/harvest-festival.
Reach reporter James Sloan at [email protected]. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.
