Houghton Fall Fest brings seasonal delights downtown
Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Rob Handler, a member of the New Power Tour board, hands a cup of fresh-made apple cider to John Davey of Marquette during Fall Fest Saturday.
Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Revelers enjoy a hay ride along the Houghton waterfront during Saturday’s Fall Fest.
Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Brittany Larson of Atlantic Mine takes a photo of her family during Fall Fest Saturday.
Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Cooper Lucca, 2, of Calumet, picks a pumpkin for his mother, Katie Lucca, at Saturday’s Fall Fest.
Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Rob Handler, a member of the New Power Tour board, hands a cup of fresh-made apple cider to John Davey of Marquette during Fall Fest Saturday.
Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Revelers enjoy a hay ride along the Houghton waterfront during Saturday’s Fall Fest.
Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Brittany Larson of Atlantic Mine takes a photo of her family during Fall Fest Saturday.
Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Cooper Lucca, 2, of Calumet, picks a pumpkin for his mother, Katie Lucca, at Saturday’s Fall Fest.
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HOUGHTON -- Houghton held its second annual Fall Fest on the pier in downtown Saturday afternoon.
The day featured hay wagon rides along the waterfront, face painting, free donuts and other fun activities.
On a brisk fall day, turnout was more of a "slow trickle in," but still made for a good time, said Amy Zawada, community and business development director for Houghton.
"I think people love fall and they love all things that are involved in it, like cider and pumpkins," she said. "And this is just a way to do all of it in one spot."
A giant pumpkin was set up for people to take photos in front of, with the fall colors along the Portage Canal as a backdrop. Brittany Larson of Atlantic Mine snapped a photo of her family.
"It's just a fun thing to do in cold weather in the fall, and it's fun to get out and mingle with people, and enjoy the local apples," she said. "It's really cool."
She loved the donuts and fresh cider, but said her favorite part was getting to have a girls' day with her daughters.
Near the Portage Lake District Library, New Power Tour was busy serving up freshly made apple cider. They had enough on hand to make 20 gallons, said New Power Tour CEO Melissa Davis. Each batch can be made in about five minutes.
"I really love giving something away for free in our world where everything costs something," she said. "It has this great digestive stuff in it and it's super-fresh... it's delicious."
Many people grabbed a cup throughout the day, including John Davey of Marquette. He was one of a series of musicians scheduled to play throughout the day.
He'd come with his 3-year-old daughter, who was warming up in the library.
"We're just enjoying the activities," he said. "It's nice to see a bunch of people out, even on a chilly day."