Whitney Siders

News Editor

Less than one week after autumn officially began, the city of Wooster will welcome the season with Woosterfest — an annual festival that has been a community tradition for 28 years. The event will take place downtown, beginning Friday, Sept. 28 and festivities last throughout the day Saturday, Sept. 29. Both residents and visitors are invited to the celebration and array of activities.

Arts and crafts vendors will line the streets, along with farmer’s markets offering fresh, seasonal produce. Woosterfest prides itself on showcasing locally-made products and hosting annual competitions like the cornhole tournament, the Beer Stein Race and the Talent Show. Auditions for the talent competition took place Aug. 30 and Sept. 4. Those who were selected will perform in the final round of the contest. The Talent Show will be held at 2 p.m. Sat., Sept. 29.

The Beer Stein Race will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Sponsored by Bowman Beverage, the competition consists of teams of four members racing to carry six beer steins down the lane to successfully fill a barrel before their opponents. There will be prizes for the winners and all participants will receive T-shirts.

The festival will also feature a Classic Car Show on both days of the event. There will also be live music when Battle of the Bands winners take the side stage Friday night. Local favorites Close Pursuit and Red Ball Jets will also perform on the main stage that night.

Woosterfest is open to Wooster residents as well as visitors,. For more information visit www.woosterchamber.com or contact Samira Salhani: (330)262-5735, ssalhani@woosterchamber.com.