35th Annual Webster Fall Festival

Save the date!

35th Annual Webster Fall Festival

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Suddenly it’s September and fall is right around the corner. Although we are sorry to see the summer end, there is a lot to look forward to this season including the much loved Webster Fall Festival! This annual event, now in its 35th year, will take place on Saturday, September 24, 2016, at the historic “Webster Corners” on the corner of Webster Church and Farrell roads in Webster Township.

Co-sponsored by the Webster Township Historical Society and the Webster United Church of Christ, this old-fashioned community event offers fun for all ages. Admission and parking are FREE.

The fun starts at 8am when the doors of the Scadin Barn, located on the east side of Webster Road, open for the Rummage Sale. Shoppers can find a lot of deals at this sale that lasts until 4pm. Be aware that payments can only be by cash or check.

Unfortunately, this year our esteemed auctioneer, Brian Braun, will not be available to host the antiques auction, so we will be holding a Silent Auction in the food tent from 10am until 2pm.

We hope to have some nice gift baskets and other prizes to offer to bidders.

From 10am to 5pm the festival gets into full swing with numerous demonstrations, displays and activities in and around the historic buildings located on the grounds. Demonstrations will include a working blacksmith, wool spinning, rope making and antique cars and farm machinery. Displays in the Kleinschmidt General Store and the Old Town Hall will offer information about life in early Webster Township.

This year we are very proud that our Podunk Schoolhouse won the Michigan One-Room Schoolhouse of the Year Award! With the help of our volunteer “School Marms,” kids who visit the schoolhouse during the festival will be able to experience what school was like in bygone days.

In the Webster Church Sanctuary, there will be a display of original paintings entitled “Webster Township: It’s Land, Skies and People.” Works by artists Lynne Whitney, Malaika Whitney and Judith Bemis depict life in Webster Township through their eyes.

The church is also presenting the "Webster Works Tent" where displays will tell the stories of the many international and local ministries in which the Webster Church is actively involved. Arts and crafts from Africa and Central America will be for sale.

In order to raise money for one ministry, the Webster Church is sponsoring a raffle to benefit the Emergency Food Fund for the medically vulnerable at Sanzule U.N. Camp in Ghana, West Africa. The church currently sends $460 a month to feed approximately 85 individuals who otherwise would not have food. Tickets cost $5 each, and the prize will be a week’s stay at a resort near Disneyworld in a two bedroom condo that sleeps six. The condo will be available from April 1 through April 8, 2017, which is the week that all schools in Washtenaw County are on break. The drawing will take place on October 16, 2016, and the winner need not be present. The winning ticket will be transferrable to someone else if the winner chooses to do so.

Throughout the day at the festival, visitors will enjoy hayrides into the surrounding farmlands ($2 for adults and $1 for kids), and a colorful iron-barrel train ride around our grounds. There will be farm animals to meet in the Petting Zoo, and activities and crafts for kids in the Kids Carnival tent.

Over in the Baseball area, K9 agility demonstrations, sponsored by the Canine Sports Recreation Center, will take place at 10am, 11am, and noon. At 1:30pm, members of the Monitor Base Ball Club of Chelsea and their sister club the Merrimack (“Merries”) BBC will play the Union BBC of Dexter in an old-fashioned Base Ball game following rules from 1860.

Visitors who enjoy shopping will find plenty to buy. Baked goods, soup mixes, preserves, coffee and cider will be for sale at the Taste of Webster in the Boy Scout Log Cabin, while the Products of Webster, in a tent beyond the Podunk School, will offer vegetables, flowers, soaps and wood products created by local artisans.

Artisans and crafters will display their wares in the Community Building or under tents on the grounds.

Participating artists include: Connie Anderson - handmade greeting cards; Barbara Baughn - cards/book covers; Susan Falcone - nature watercolors & prints; Dawn Farrell - fleece dog sweaters and blankets; Cynthia High - handmade soaps; Agatha Kalkanis - beaded jewelry; Raynette Kempf - stuffed animals/ pillows; Jody Mankerian - fall crafts; Josephine Page - fabric pins; Sandra Somers - fall/holiday paintings; and Paula Staebler - wood painted signs.

Live music is an important part of the Fall Festival, and an exciting addition this year is the opening of our new “Corn Crib” stage. Located between the Old Town Hall and the Blacksmith Shop, this unique building is currently under construction, and will be finished in plenty of time to be used for the first time at the Festival. The Corn Crib is dedicated to the memory of Richard Dieterle, the founder, and original fiddler of the RFD Boys, whose wife, Karen Hertenstein, is an active member of the Webster Historical Society. As in past years, the RFD Boys will close out the musical lineup at the festival, and will certainly dedicate their performance to Richard’s memory.

Other entertainment on the Corn Crib stage, from noon to 5pm, will include the Irish ensemble Fiddler Pie, the Celtic fusion duo Nessa, and the North Creek Fiddlers who perform bluegrass, Irish folk and old country.

Across the road, in the Webster Church Sanctuary, the musical lineup will begin at 11am with Skyline High students Emma McDermott on vocals, Brian Brill on piano and Rob Crozier on bass, playing jazz, pop and original compositions. At noon KP Duo and Friends will perform traditional American and Celtic tunes, followed at 1pm by Celtic Creole. At 2pm the 20 piece Ypsi Town Band will step outside to play vintage music from the 1880s to 1920s.

Visitors will be sure to work up an appetite in the fresh country air so rest assured that food and beverages will be available! Popcorn, hot dogs, ice cream and sodas can be purchased throughout the day at the Hot Dog Stand. Across the road, in the Webster Church, a Church Luncheon of soups and sandwiches will be served from 11:00am to 2:00pm in the lower level Fellowship Hall. Enjoy lunch while listening to the music from the Sanctuary upstairs.

At 5:00pm Alice Bristle will perform her traditional Hog Call to summon everyone to Webster’s Famous Pig Roast! Tickets for this delicious meal will be available all day at the Information Booth and cost $10 for adults, and $5 for children.

The Webster Fall Festival will take place at 5484 Webster Church Rd., Dexter, MI, 48130. It is located 1 mile south of North Territorial Road, 3.5 miles west of US 23 off of exit 49. Please visit our website at www.WebsterFallFestival.org for more details and information, or call 734-426-5115.

See you there!