That’s a Wrap on Fall Fest & the Port City Run
What a Saturday, Frankfort!
On October 10, Open Space Park was packed from sunrise to the final splat. The Port City Run kicked things off at 9 AM, and the Frankfort Fall Festival kept the party rolling all day long, with fall color, Lake Michigan breezes (maybe a little too breezy - but hey, we aren’t complaining!) and a whole lot of community.
Off and Running
210 runners, walkers, strollers, and four-legged friends hit the course for this year’s Port City Run, winding along the Betsie Valley Trail into Elberta and back to the finish at Open Space Park. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Frankfort High School Track Program, so every step helped support our local athletes. Congratulations to every finisher, and a big thank-you to the volunteers who cheered, directed, and got up early to make this happen.
A Festival for the Books
The fun picked up right where the race left off. Shoppers browsed the Craft Fair and farmers market, kids filled the Kids’ Game Tent and lined up for face painting, and families hopped aboard wagon rides and met the alpacas. Live music played all afternoon, and the food trucks had a well-deserved busy day.
Then came the main event: the Giant Pumpkin Drop! The crowd counted down (a couple of times, minor rope snafu), but alas, our 552-pound pumpkin met its very dramatic end.
A Big Day for Downtown
Events like these do more than fill a park. They fill Main Street. Visitors came for the race and festival, then stayed for lunch, shopping, and dinner downtown, putting Frankfort in front of thousands of people during peak fall color season. That’s what keeps our downtown businesses thriving long after the tents come down.
Thank You!
None of this happens without our sponsors, volunteers, vendors, and the City of Frankfort.
Special thanks to:
Giant Pumpkin Sponsor
DTE Energy
Harvest Sponsors
Traverse City Tourism
The City of Frankfort
The Schindler Appleford Group
Frankfort Community Federal Credit Union
Webber Insurance
Padnos
Precision Collision
Hometown Sponsors
Cooley Construction
Kari King Realty
Honor Bank
Kerby’s Backhoe Service
Chamber Corporate Premier Sponsors
State Savings Bank
Graceland Fruit
West Shore Bank
Curtis Insurance Agency
Falling Leaves Sponsor
Port City Smokehouse
In-Kind Donations
Zupin Crane - Donated our crane and will help us drop the pumpkin!
Beulah Auto Parts - Donated our car
Family Fare - Donated the green Huffy bike
Coastline Cycles - Donated the yellow Retrospec bike
These businesses showed up for our community this year. When you're out and about, stop in, say thanks, and spend a little local love with them!
Huge thanks to our pumpkin grower, Nic Welty, owner of 9 Bean Rows in Suttons Bay, and to the City of Frankfort for letting us drop a giant gourd in their park. To ALL of our volunteers, you’re the reason this festival runs - thank you all! And to everyone who came out to run, shop, eat, and cheer: thank you for showing up for your community.
We’ll see you next fall!
