64th Fall Festival sweeps into Plymouth

This afternoon, streets will begin to be filled with the sounds of carnival rides being installed and various booths and attractions being erected along Main Street as the City of Plymouth prepares for the 64th Annual Fall Festival.
Bingo to support the Plymouth-Canton Little League will take place in The Gathering tomorrow evening and one of the most awaited events of the year, the Civitans Taste Fest will take place in the Veteran's Tent behind E.G. Nick's restaurant on Forest Street. 
That tent will host the A.M. Rotary Club Spaghetti Dinner Saturday evening, too  and each event will be followed by live entertainment in the tent with a $5 cover charge to support the Veteran's group.
Saturday morning is the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast and the big event of the weekend and the start of it all, the Rotary Chicken Barbeque is, as always, set for Sunday.
“It's a real community event. Everything here is for the community,” explained Festival President Eric Joy. “The money goes in a circle, people spend it here, at these events, and these civic groups then give it all right back to the community in scholarships, donations to sports teams and groups and donations to many good causes.”
Joy, who has been volunteering his time to manage or coordinate the event for several years, had one piece of advice for those attending the festival any time during the weekend.
“Take the shuttle. Please, take the shuttle,” he said. Praise Baptist Church, 45000 North Territorial Road, about a quarter mile west of Sheldon Road,  will again this year offer free parking and free shuttle service to the heart of the festival all weekend. The air-conditioned vans run half an hour before the festival open each day until half an hour after closing, or until everyone is delivered back to their car.
“It's free and it is very convenient,” Joy said.
Pre-sale tickets for the Taste Fest and the Spaghetti Dinner at reduced prices are still available at E.G. Nick's and Kiwanis and Rotary club members are selling advance tickets for the pancake breakfast and chicken dinners.
James Geitzen, president of JAG Entertainment which books professional bands for performances during community concerts and other events during the year, agreed with Joy about the true spirit of the event.
“The Plymouth Fall Festival really is a special event. It is all volunteers, from civic groups and clubs, all working together for one weekend,” he said. “It really is what being part of a community is all about.”
(A complete guide to all the Fall Festival activities is included in this edition of The Eagle.)