Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By EMILY SPARACINO | Staff Writer

MT LAUREL – Fall has officially begun, and the Town of Mt Laurel will celebrate the season with the return of its fall festival this month.

After making the difficult decision to cancel last year’s festival, organizers are taking all necessary precautions to ensure vendors, attendees and team members stay healthy and safe at this year’s event as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

“We’re just following the CDC guidelines at this juncture,” event coordinator Codie Thoma said. “As of right now, we are proceeding as planned.”

Mt Laurel’s 20th annual Fall Festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the town center, located off Dunnavant Valley Road.

The outdoor event will feature a farmers market, food trucks, live music, a kid zone and a craft fair.

Registration remains open for local farmers and artisans to participate as vendors selling produce, plants, flowers, artwork, craft pieces, children’s items, jewelry and hand-crafted merchandise.

Vendor registration is available at Mtlaurel.com/blog/fall-festival-vendor-registration-is-now-open/.

Thoma said vendors will be spaced 6 feet apart from each other.

“With the COVID restrictions, we put more distance between the vendors,” she said. “We did want to be mindful of folks and CDC guidelines.”

Solicitors, franchised businesses, network marketing individuals, politicians and items that are not appropriate for a family festival will not be allowed.

Priority placement of assigned spaces will be given to artists and artisan makers.

All vendor spaces are pre-assigned to ensure a smooth set-up.

Space assignment is chosen by a number of factors, including what kinds of items are around it; therefore, vendors cannot choose their spaces.

Special requests may be written in the Notes section of the registration form.

Once spaces are assigned, they cannot be switched.

All vendors must pre-register and pre-pay, and they will be assigned a vendor number and vendor position for the festival. No walk-up vendors will be accepted.

The only set-up hours will be Saturday from 6-8 a.m.

Vendors must bring their own tents. Those who need a 10-by-20-foot space may indicate this at registration.

The festival will not provide electricity unless pre-arranged for an additional fee.

The following is the live music schedule:

• Alice Bargeron solo, 11 a.m.
• Joe Breckenridge, 12 p.m.
• Brendan Young Duo, 1 p.m.
• Lori Rayne Trio, 2 p.m.

The festival has drawn more than 6,000 patrons in previous years.

Festival attendees may also visit Mt Laurel merchants during their open hours on Oct. 16.

Visit @MtLaurelAL on Facebook, @mtlaurel on Instagram or Mtlaurel.com for updates.