BROOKINGS – “The carnival people are not coming,” was the word from David McMahon, president of the Elkton Harvest Festival Committee last week. But the festival will go on with a mix of both traditional and new offerings, with community residents stepping up to add to the fun.

The McDermott Family Carnival, with its rides, games and food booths, had been a major draw in festivals past. However, this year labor shortages led to its cancellation.

“It was such short notice there is no way we could find a replacement,” McMahon explained. “So, we are going to do a kind of just everything in-town, local kind of stuff.” 

For starters there’s the Miss Elkton Pageant at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Elkton Community Center. Then comes the big day.

On Saturday activities will be “mainly on the Main Street of Elkton,” he said. “From 12 noon to 4:30 p.m. there will be kids’ games, entertainment, and church food stands like we’ve had in the past.” 

Add to that inflatables for the kids, a dunk tank, ring toss, golf putting, face painting and bracelets, pop bottle ring toss, bean bag (corn hole) including a tournament, basketball and “miniature kid-boat races.” Those activities go all afternoon and close off about 4:30 p.m. Then the parade starts at 5. Lineup is by the school, as usual. 

“The theme for this year’s parade is ‘Your Favorite Movie,’” McMahon said. “We’re hoping people will build floats that refer to their favorite movies. … The parade will last probably 45 minutes to an hour. Because of street construction, this year’s parade will have a new route: north on Buffalo Street then south on Beaver Street.”

Following the parade comes bingo at 6:30 at the community center, put on by the American Legion.

The big day wraps up with all-ages street dance from 7 to 11 p.m. There’ll be karaoke and entertainment by DJameson.

“It gets rolling at 12 o’clock (noon) and keeps going until basically 11 (p.m.),” McMahon said, in summing up all the day’s events.

Dueling food stands

What really gets things rolling at high noon, as noted in the festival flyer schedule, is: “The famous church food stands open.” 

In friendly, interdenominational Christian competition, it’s the Catholics vs. the Protestants. The Catholics come from Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, the Protestants from the United Parish of Elkton. Dueling food stands? “Kind of, but they work together,” McMahon said, with a hearty laugh.

 “It’s the same thing every year,” Judy Kampman said of the Catholic bill of fare. “Our focus is our grilled hamburgers, with the grilled onions, and our famous potato salad. It’s the best. (And there’s) beans, homemade pies, barbecue and hot dogs.”

She noted that the pies will be “fruit pies; we don’t want custard or crème pies.”

The church food stands are “the big thing,” Kampman said. “A lot of people come for the food.” And they’ve been coming for decades.

“I remember (coming) since I was a kid, and I’m not going to tell you how old I was. It’s been over 50 years, because I’ve been married 51 years. And it went before that; I guess it’s been going at least 60.”

In the absence of the carnival this year, the food stands take on added importance as a draw to bring in festival goers.

“We’re going to be open at noon and remain open until at least 8:30 or 9 o’clock,” she said. “They can get lunch and they can get supper.”

Nancy Wiskur, also a veteran of decades of working the festival, and her Protestant culinary crew are equal to the annual festival with their own menu: “Barbecue, green onion brats from the Elkton Locker. Homemade pies, homemade potato salad.” 

Asked to name a signature dish for her food stand, she cited, honey barbecued sandwiches. And diners might like to try the Protestant potato salad. She’s not about to admit that the Catholics’ famous potato salad is better than what the Protestants serve.

Contact John Kubal at jkubal@brookingsregister.com.