As patrons walked toward the 13th Street District to enjoy the Harvest Market, dozens of parked cars filled the streets with music filling the air. They then arrived at a bustling street with vendors selling anything from homemade cupcakes to furniture and jewelry.

Lines for the over 25 vendors swirled all over the 13th Street District while bands provided live entertainment. Doors to shops on 13th Street District were also open with lines of people trailing out.

13th Street District board member Anne Wahl greeted guests as they entered the Harvest Market. She said she saw many people happy to be out and about in the wonderful weather, with people beginning to file in as early as 4:30 p.m. to check out the event.

“I think just being able to come back out again, so many people have said that they remember coming to this before COVID,” Wahl said. “COVID is not over, but now that we have a vaccination available so people can come back out and enjoy themselves again and see neighbors. I’ve seen a lot of neighbors that I even haven’t seen since COVID had started.”

T-R PHOTO BY TREVOR BABCOCK - Harvest Market attendees get a look at jewelry for sale. Shoppers were seen all throughout the 13th Street District checking out what vendors had to offer at the Harvest Market.

With the 13th Street District Cruise-In showcasing classic cars on Thursday and the upcoming Cultural Fiesta on Sept. 19, Wahl said it’s wonderful to have 13th Street District back and feels people in Marshalltown are excited about their town right now.

Marshalltown resident Bob Gilbertson, who attended Friday night’s Harvest Market, said he’s been going to the event since it originally started and was happy to see people back out.

“It feels like a long time since we’ve had an event like this,” Gilbertson said.

He enjoyed getting a look at the various vendors of the Harvest Market. Baked goods, candles, fall decorations, coffee, spices, produce, ice cream, barbecue, art, flowers and more were all available.

“Knowing that this stuff is all from people in the area to be able to support local businesses is good,” he said.

T-R PHOTO BY TREVOR BABCOCK - The high energy seven-piece outfit The Punching Pandas put on a lively show for the packed 13th Street District during the Harvest Market.

Owner of Caffeinated Chaos Jess Althaus, who sold her handmade and designed clay earrings at the Harvest Market, said she liked seeing familiar faces, meeting new ones and sharing her business.

“It’s been really busy and it’s been really fun,” Althaus said.

13th Street District board member Christine Isom, who headed planning for the Harvest Market, said she was happy to see the turnout of families and community members.

“These kind of events help bring life back into the district and into our community, to be able to see our neighbors and friends that maybe we haven’t seen out in about for the last year,” Isom said.

This year’s Harvest Market was the fifth rendition of the event and Isom said there are plans to bring the event back for next year.

“We’re excited to continue to grow it and evolve it,” Isom said. “We’ll be looking for how we can continue to improve the event and draw more people from around the community and also surrounding communities to see some of the great changes and things that are going on in Marshalltown.”

–

Contact Trevor Babcock at 641-753-6611 or tbabcock@timesrepublican.com.