It was a beautiful day for the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce to host its 19th Harvest Festival Saturday in downtown Clear Lake.
“Saturday was a picture-perfect fall day. We were thrilled to welcome almost 12,000 attendees for Harvest Festival,” said Chamber of Commerce President Stacy Doughan. “Around 37 percent of those attending traveled over 30 miles to attend.”
The fall fun included vendors, wine tasting, a 5K walk/run and a variety of contests. Winners for the day included:
•Salsa Contest Winners: (won $50 in Chamber Bucks): 1st Place Mild – Daryl Sherman; 1st Place Medium – Gary Christensen; and 1st Place Hot – Gary Christensen.
•Guess the Corks Winner (won $100 in Chamber Bucks) was Scott Matzen (guessed 602 and the actual amount was 599).
•Best Wine of the Day: 1st Place – Van Wijk Winery with Bossy Pants; 2nd Place – Brickyard Winery with Branding Oron; and 3rd Place – Soldier Creek Winery with Goldenrod.
•Pole Decorating Contest: 1st Place – Central Gardens (won $150 in Chamber Bucks); 2nd Place – Hall Realty (won $100 in Chamber Bucks); and 3rd Place – Clear Lake Rotary (won $50 in Chamber Bucks).
•Grape Stomp: 1st Place – Team Goodhue Grapes.
•Champagne 5K overall winner: Vladimir Starrett.
The 2023 Harvest Festival was presented by: MBT Bank, CL Tel, Larson’s Mercantile, Clear Lake Bank & Trust and Summit Carbon Solutions.
Music sponsors include: Rookies, Sevens, TAP’d, First Citizens, Apex Clean Energy/Indigo Wind, Dean Snyder Construction, Farmers State Bank, Country Meadow Place, Hogan Hansen, NTI, Ltd., and Clear Lake Storage Depot.
The Champagne 5K sponsors were: Nash & Ivy, Glow on the Go, Bergland + Cram, Rookies, Sevens, & Tap’d.
“Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to our supporters, sponsors, volunteers, and everyone who made this day truly special,” said Doughan.
