Mount Kisco SeptemberFest offers three days of fun

Vendors lined the sidewalk at last year’s SeptemberFest Saturday street fair.

By MARTIN WILBUR

A full weekend of food, fun, music and community spirit should make for one of the most enjoyable events on the calendar in Mount Kisco.

Next weekend is the Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce annual SeptemberFest, billed as the village’s biggest block party, that kicks off Friday, Sept. 18, at 5 p.m., with the opening of the carnival featuring rides, games and food, and stretches through Sunday in the downtown. 

It is a crucial three days that in addition to raising money for a designated organization each year spotlights the village and the wide array of businesses and services available, said Chamber of Commerce Co-Executive Director Beth Vetare-Civitello.

“The reason we do it is for bringing people into Mount Kisco to showcase and highlight the businesses in Mount Kisco and what we have to offer on a regular basis as well as on a specialty event,” Vetare-Civitello said. “The Economic Development Council and the chamber are working together closely to try and benefit all the businesses and I think that this is a showcase for them all.”

In addition to the carnival that will run all three days in the Shoppers Park parking lot, there is a food court with a wide variety of food trucks alongside a beer garden. 

On Saturday at 10 a.m., the street fair opens along South Moger Avenue and the promenade with more than 75 businesses and organizations scheduled to participate. The street fair is a popular remnant of the old Sidewalk Sales Days before the chamber morphed the weekend to include a weekend-long celebration with other enjoyable activities for all ages in 2018, Vetare-Civitello said.

Visitors will be treated to a lineup of musical performances throughout Saturday afternoon with SeptemberFest’s Hometown Sound Showcase, as a lineup of local musicians will each be on stage for an hour. On Saturday evening, the band Killer Tofu will entertain, performing a mix of 1990s and 2000s pop and rock hits.

The street fair will also feature an assortment of activities and exhibits, including vehicle displays by the local car dealerships, an art collective from the Mount Kisco Arts Council, a bricks and LEGO build challenge and a puppet show. 

The fair will have a couple of new wrinkles this year. Vetare-Civitello said a sensory tent will be introduced for children and young adults who may find the crowds and activity overwhelming and need a quiet and calming space. The chamber has also brought a hands-on children’s activity called Slime Queen for the day.

For those who want to participate in the raffle, the drawing will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the food court. The winner stands to walk away with about $10,000 while the proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester. Last year about $13,000 was raised for the Mount Kisco Historical Society’s restoration project of the early 19th-century stone arch bridge.

A returning highlight that proved to be a big hit last year is the Sunday Family and Football Fun Day, Vetare-Civitello said. With SeptemberFest coinciding with the second week of the NFL season, football fans can watch games on a big screen television in the food court and get something to eat and drink. Meanwhile, the carnival will be open from noon to 8 p.m.

All that’s needed is nice weather so the village can maximize the big weekend, although organizers typically try to make the best of it, Vetare-Civitello said. In case of significant rain, the street fair has a Sunday rain date, but organizers hope that the weekend is rain-free and momentum can continue to build for the village.

“Right now, we’re really experiencing a lot of openings, a lot of new people are coming in and choosing Mount Kisco because of what we have to offer,” she said.

For those coming into the village by car, parking is available in the nearby South and North Moger Avenue and Blackeby lots.

Visit mtkiscochamber.com for more information.