• Intro

Harvest Homecoming

Address:

Downtown New Albany
New Albany, IN
47151-0102
United States

Contact Email:

Website:

http://www.harveshomecoming.com

About:

Harvest Homecoming is a virtual cornucopia of activities. Over 300 booths line the streets of downtown New Albany the last four days of the festival.

History:

Honored by the Library of Congress Bicentennial Local Legacies Project in 2000, Harvest Homecoming, a festival drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to New Albany, Indiana, has been thriving and growing for 38 years. It was conceived as a means of bringing the people of southern Indiana together to share in its wealth of talent, historic background and beauty. What is now over a week of events began as a three-day "Pumpkin Festival," a civic effort by the Tourism Bureau of the New Albany Chamber of Commerce, and is now run exclusively by Harvest Homecoming, Inc. The 39th Harvest Homecoming Festival will be held in October of 2005. Opening ceremonies include a parade featuring over 200 units (Parade grand marshals have included Olympic bronze metalist, Doug Sharp, basketball great David Robinson, Colonel Harlan Sanders, Davy Jones of the Monkees, Hans Conreid, Archie Campbell, James "The Virginian" Drury and Tom "Dukes of Hazard" Wopat). Events scheduled throughout the following eight days incorporate the arts, business, education and much more. Area students paint the windows of downtown businesses and decorate pumpkins grown in the rolling hills and farmlands which epitomize southern Indiana. A Hot Air Balloon Race, "Who Wants to Be a College Student?" Scholarship game for area high school students, "Kids Day in The Tent" for children up through 6th grade, a luncheon attended by over 1,000 local business persons, a dog show, costume contest, bicycle tour, and a baking contest are but a few of the activities available to young and old. Music by local bands, including the world renowned Marlins and Monarchs, swells from New Albany's Riverfront Amphitheater near the close of the festival. Admission to these concerts requires only the purchase of a $2 Harvest Homecoming pin. Screams of delight and excitement also emanate from the Riverfront as children and adults brave the Tilt-O-Whirl and Scrambler rides, stuffing cotton candy and attempt to win a giant stuffed animal. Since Harvest Homecoming is a virtual cornucopia of activities, its signature cornucopia logo depicts autumn, the harvest and fruitfulness. And we have yet to mention the booth area, perhaps the most noted part of the festival. Over 300 booths line the streets of downtown New Albany the last four days of the festival. A separate Juried Art Show section was added in 2000. It is estimated over 600,000 persons visit the booth area, encompassing seven city blocks and featuring crafts, games and much more food than a person can digest in one trip. (It has been tried!) Many have attempted to "eat their way through the festival." Many charitable organizations, churches and civic groups are able to raise enough money during booth days to support outreach programs year-round. Throughout the years, the Harvest Homecoming festival has continued to operate and flourish under the direction of volunteers. Overseen by a board of 60 directors, each year a new president is elected and 18 vice presidents manage hundreds of volunteers to make it all happen. In addition to providing one of the largest events in the state of Indiana, Harvest Homecoming also returns to the community. The festival committee has provided funding to develop New Albany's riverfront, scholarships for the Miss Harvest Homecoming Pageant (a Miss America sanctioned scholarship pageant), and pays for credit hours through "Who Wants to Be A College Student?", a college scholarship game for local area high school students. The Festival also offers "Kids Day In The Tent", a free fun day of crafts, learning and music for kids up through the sixth grade. Featured in Midwest Living Magazine and in publications and broadcasts throughout Indiana and neighboring Kentucky, Harvest Homecoming continues to grow through the efforts of what is now thousands of volunteers who have given their time, effort and dollars to make it one of the premier festivals in the United States.