‘A really great time’ expected for Main Street Fall Festival

If you’re among those who complain that there’s nothing to do in Sallisaw, an understandably tired and thinly stretched Lance Montgomery doesn’t want to hear about it.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that there’s not anything to do in Sallisaw during the month of October,” says Montgomery, president of Sallisaw Main Street. Because on the heels of last weekend’s Red Autumn Art Festival, downtown Sallisaw will be jammed with festival-goers Saturday for the Main Street Fall Festival, formerly known as Cruizin’ 64.

As with the former daylong event, Main Street Fall Festival features street vendors and a car show that’s been a Sallisaw tradition since 1976. But what attracts many attendees are the Main Street Chili Coo- koff and live entertainment.

“The element of the festival that gets me the most excited — just because I’m somewhat of a glutton — is the Main Street Chili Cookoff,” Montgomery confesses. “We’re going to have that available to anyone who would like to enter, there’s no entry fee.”

Cookoff teams need to bring at least four gallons of chili to be able to provide to the public, because it’s a people’s choice competition, so the public will be the judge, “so you definitely don’t wanna be caught short of chili.” Contestants need to bring their own tents and 100-foot extension cords for any electrical devices.

The prize categories include one-alarm, two-alarm and three-alarm chili, as well as the best overall, and there’ll be prize money and trophies awarded, Montgomery says.

“I would say that the number of contestants in the chili cookoff has probably increased somewhat over time. We have capacity for 16 contestants. We maxed that out last year. So if you’re out there and you think you make the best chili in a twostate area, bring it on. Put your chili to the test; let the public decide,” he says.

“If you enjoy spending a fall afternoon outside eating good food, I absolutely do not know why you would not come to the Main Street Chili Cookoff.”

Taster kits go on sale at 11 a.m. The $10 fee gets tasters a plate with utensils and plenty of napkins, as well as tickets to vote for who you think is the best.

“That’s what makes this very exciting, too, is that it’s a people’s choice award, so the winners are determined by the public, the people who come and purchase the taster kits and cast their votes. This is an awesome opportunity to try different types of chili. I never knew that there were so many different ways to make chili, so many different things to make chili out of until I attended my first chili cookoff here,” Montgomery says.

“Also, something that I really get a kick out of at the chili cookoff, are the side items that people make and include with their chili. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich would go good with chili until I attended my first chili cookoff here, and one of the contestants paired peanut butterand- jelly sandwiches with their chili, and it was amazing.

“That’s gonna be something that if you like to eat great food, if you like to experience different kinds of food, the chili cookoff is gonna to be an exciting event for you,” Montgomery says. “If you like to look at classic machines, classic cars, modified cars, the car show is gonna be for you. If you wanna explore the different things that people will have available for purchase, the vendors will have something to offer everyone.”

When it comes to live entertainment, Ted Capps will be performing at Stage Park beginning at 11:30 a.m.

“He really amazed the crowd at Diamond Daze, so we’re very excited to have him coming back,” Montgomery says of Capps. “So good music, good food, cool cars, cool stuff to buy with the vendors, all under the fall sunshine downtown Sallisaw. We look forward to a very exciting fall afternoon, family friendly, and we’re looking forward to having a really great time.”

Although the festival has a new name, the day’s layout should look very familiar.

“Stage Park will be kinda the hub of the Main Street Fall Festival. That will be where you purchase your taster kits, in that vicinity will be where a lot of the contestants are located and the vendors will be spread out from there. Then the car show will be on Oak Street,” Montgomery explains, adding that registration for the car show begins at 8 a.m.

“Stage Park is where you wanna make your first stop, and, of course, the stage will be where the band performs. Stage Park will be kinda the heart of the event.”

Registration to be a street vendor or to compete in the chili cookoff continues, and those interested should contact the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce.

Name change

With 18 years of success behind Cruizin’ 64, why change the name?

Montgomery says the Main Street organization “felt that the previous name suggested that there was a cruise night or some sort of burnout event associated with the festival, and there’s not. So they wanted to create a name that was not so suggestive of a cruise night, that’s why they came up with Main Street Fall Festival.”