Free event will feature live music, vendors, and family activities

By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times

The biggest cultural celebration in Talent is back and bigger than ever as organizers set up for the 54th annual Talent Harvest Festival.

The event is free to attend and includes hundreds of vendors, six stages throughout town with live music and performances, family activities such as face painting and lawn games, cider-pressing demonstrations and much more. 

The Talent Harvest Festival is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in downtown Talent.

“I’m so excited; this event is such a key part of the Talent community and sense of identity and I love that so many participate in making this event happen,” said Ana Byers, event coordinator for the festival and councilor for the city of Talent. “This year, there will be more vendors participating, more bands participating and we have the parade added in.” 

With a focus on creativity and inclusion, the festival will include the first-ever “Wheely Fun Parade” in collaboration with Talent Maker City, inviting people to bring anything on wheels and participate in the new parade. 

Some parade entries being encouraged are bicycles, skateboards, in-line skates, wheelbarrows, strollers and more, Byers said.

“I truly have no idea what to expect,” she added. “I’m sending invites to all of the school districts; kids will be all over participating in this and celebrating and expressing themselves.” 

All parade entries must have wheels and run solely on people power.

Electric vehicles, animal-drawn entries and vehicles with gas powered engines will not be allowed.

Awards will be handed out for the top three parade entries for harvest-inspired decor, creativity and color. 

Participants ages 18 and younger can take part in the parade for free; a $10 registration fee is required for those 19 and older to participate. 

To register for the “Wheely Fun Parade,” which is due to get underway at 10 a.m., go talentharvestfestival.org. 

A staple of the annual event is the music. This year there will be 18 different bands playing throughout the festival. 

“We’re creating the audio atmosphere for the entire space, featuring a load of local bands, a good mix of people who’ve performed in Talent before and new groups getting started and sharing their music with folks,” Byers said. “So many people are so excited to be a part of this event and I wish we had room for every single (performer).” 

The annual 10K, 5K and 1-mile races hosted by Southern Oregon Runners will kick-off the day’s event.  For more information on the races and to register, see sorunners.org/event-info/talent-harvest-festival-3.

The event will involve 30-plus local organizations such as the Talent Business Alliance and Talent Maker City collaborating alongside city of Talent organizers to make sure everything runs smoothly. 

With more than 200 vendors participating, the new parade and more, organizers are aiming to increase attendance to the festival from last year’s mark of around 7,000 people to reach 9,000 visitors this year.

“We’re a town of 6,300 now, almost back to pre-Almeda (Fire) numbers, and a huge amount of Talent shows out,” Byers said. “To me, that desire to participate speaks to how much we value the atmosphere, connection and warmth.” 

The harvest spirit of the event will be displayed with the new cider-pressing demonstrations, allowing any and all to bring apples, pears and so on and learn about the pressing process while getting fresh cider through a partnership with U Ferment, a Talent-based fermented food and beverage supply shop. 

“They can take home the cider with them, folks can taste them and I love the fact that this is a communal experience,” Byers said. 

Other activities attendees can look forward to include multiple beer gardens, workshops through Talent Maker City, Pixel Putt mini golf, kids’ activities, a crosscut saw competition with the Siskiyou Mountain Club, and more. 

The Talent Harvest Festival started in 1971 and has been celebrating Talent and the surrounding community’s heritage and culture every year since. 

“It’s a core memory of being part of Talent and important to have that as a touchstone and reinforce that sense of connection,” Byers said.  

Reach reporter James Sloan at [email protected]. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.