photo by: Elvyn Jones

Bright sunshine and cool temperatures made for perfect weather Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, for the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin City. Visitors flocked to the downtown streets on Saturday morning.

When the bells of Baldwin City First United Methodist Church rang out the noon hour on Saturday, the Maple Leaf Festival had only been going on for a few hours — but one of the key organizers was already pronouncing the event a huge success.

Donna Curran, the festival booth committee chair, said the festival was on track for what could be an attendance record. She pointed to the near-perfect fall weather, as well as the fact that the festival wasn’t held in person last year because of COVID-19. The annual fall festival takes place on the third weekend of October, and it’s been estimated that it draws about 30,000 people during its two-day run when the weather cooperates.

“Wonderful,” Curran said. “The weather is wonderful. The crowd is amazing, and all the vendors are doing great. I think this might be our best attendance since I took over as booth chair.”

Such a rosy assessment might be expected from a Maple Leaf Festival committee member, but Curran wasn’t the only one impressed. Longtime festival vendor Krista Ahrens, of Topeka, said she was getting more traffic than usual at her pet food and accessories booth on High Street.

“I’ve been coming here seven or eight years,” she said. “I think this is the busiest I’ve seen it. Business is great. I can see I’m going to sell out of some items.”

Shoppers look at a picture of a sunflower field at a Maple Leaf Festival booth on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021.

A block east on High Street, Tammy Foxworthy, of Gardner, was also doing good business. She was selling ink pens that her husband, Tom Foxworthy, had turned on a lathe.

“We love coming here,” she said. “We are at festivals throughout the fall. Maple Leaf is always our best. It seems really busy this year.”

Rose Riley, of Lawrence, said she was glad to see the festival return and to have a reason to get out on a wonderful day. She planned to buy some crafts but hadn’t yet made any purchases as of noon — “I’m still looking,” she said.

Plenty of other shoppers were doing the festival shuffle, going from booth to booth on High Street. Baldwin City resident Dawn Hulce was among them. She said she didn’t know what she would buy yet, but that she would know it when she saw it. She also said she wasn’t surprised by the large crowd.

“It’s always packed when the weather’s nice,” she said.

photo by: Elvyn Jones

Young festival attendees ride in a stroller on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, at the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin City.

There were a few changes to the festival lineup this year, Curran said. The carnival that traditionally sets up on the 800 block of High Street couldn’t make it because of a pandemic-related labor shortage, and the parade was shorter than normal. But there are also quite a few new additions among the 428 vendor booths, she said.

“We had the highest turnover of vendors since I became booth chairman 15 years ago,” she said. “Many of the older vendors retired with the pandemic, and some of the younger ones were forced out of business when the festivals were canceled last year. There are many old friends back, but a lot of new faces, too.”

The festival fun continues on Sunday in downtown Baldwin City. Booths will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For a schedule of events, visit mapleleaffestival.com.

photo by: Elvyn Jones

Curren Rose, of Colorado Springs, Colo., sits with his 1-year-old son Rowan and enjoys a turkey leg Saturday, Oct. 1, 2021, at the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin City.