By Makala Chapman [1]
BELLEVILLE – Despite the summer weather, things are about to feel a little more like fall in Belleville this Saturday with the 8th annual Flavours of Fall [2] event.
The festivities, held by the Belleville Chamber of Commerce and Bay of Quinte Tourism, will feature everything from pumpkin carvings, historic displays to food vendors and more. Various activities will be spread between Front Street and Pinnacle Street.
“It’s definitely a celebration of every part of the harvest season from the sights, the sounds, the senses and the tastes,” says the chamber’s special events coordinator Susan Walsh.
While a day out can be an expensive experience for many families, Walsh noted that Saturday would be affordable for all.
“All the attractions and the entertainment are free,” she said. “The only thing you have to pay for is your food.”
Also being celebrated at the fall festivities is Belleville’s downtown farmer’s market – which will be celebrating its 200th anniversary.
“I think it’s important for us to thank the farmers and be around the farmer’s market on Saturday,” Walsh said. “(Flavours of Fall) is a great way to showcase fall and everything that fall is about and a lot of that has to do with produce.”
Dug Stevenson,the Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board’s executive director, said he hopes the event will help attract tourists during the off-season.
“It’s an excellent event to drive activity in the City of Belleville and drive people downtown in the fall,” he said.
As for what sets Flavour of Fall apart from other seasonal activities in the city, Stevenson says it all boils down to one thing.
“It’s very much geared at family, which you don’t tend to find with all events,” he said. “It’s really just a fantastic event for people to get out and learn about this great city and this great region.”
Overall, both Stevenson and Walsh agree that the event will be a great way to show off all that Belleville has to offer.
“It’s events like this that make us as residents appreciate what Belleville has for us,” Walsh said, “and for tourists to say ‘hey, this is a really cool place.’”