Shoppes on White Now Fully Part of Fall Fest

This year for Fall Fest we’re a little extra excited at This & That Gifts! Along with our fellow merchants on White Street, we’re part of a Fall Fest experiment to close White from Nebraska to Elwood, which gives us a booth out front on the street. We’ve always been on the perimeter of the Fest, but this year we’ll be in the thick of things. And we can hardly wait!

Did you know Frankfort’s Fall Festival grew out of the Sauerkraut Days first sponsored by the Frankfort Chamber back in 1961, and later the Lions Club beginning in 1963? The Lions renamed the festival Sauerkraut and Wiener Day. Apparently, however, guests found the first year's sauerkraut too salty, so the Lions went searching for a new recipe and found it in the kitchen of chef Tony Baker. Baker, who owned the Arch Inn at Route 30 and Harlem Avenue in Frankfort, remained head Fest chef for the next six years.

While the Fest’s food (and activity) offerings have evolved over the past 50 years, the community spirit that initiated the event remains the same, shown in the dedication of the huge team of volunteers who run the festival under the direction of the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce. We're proud to be a part of that effort.

As we usher in Labor Day weekend, I'd just like to say welcome to downtown Frankfort! We hope you enjoy the Fest!

See you in the streets,
~Nancy
Owner of This & That Gifts
President of the Frankfort Historic Business Association