Hilltop festival draws families, sparks discussion

Rutherfordton’s Oct. 3 event featured downtown activities, police vehicles and community groups

Families and visitors filled downtown Rutherfordton for the Hilltop Fall Festival on Oct. 3, with entertainment, vendors and children’s activities drawing praise alongside questions about town spending and festival offerings.

The Saturday event featured a magic show, a car show, and a pet costume contest hosted by Heart of the Foothills Animal Rescue, according to the town’s MyRutherfordton Facebook page.

Organizers moved the closing time from 5 p.m. to 3 p.m. because of approaching weather. The town reported that blue skies remained through the finish.

Photographs show colorful vendor tents lining Main Street, inflatable slides and games for children. Police vehicles were displayed near Main and Court streets.

In response to a Facebook commenter’s concerns about vehicle longevity, the town said grant funding covered 80% of the cost of five electric vehicles across its Police, Fire, Public Works and PARC departments, including two police vehicles. The town’s share was 20%.

“These Blazers are built for police service,” the town wrote, adding that Chevrolet provides an eight-year, 100,000-mile limited battery warranty, whichever comes first.

Another commenter, Dennis Adams, raised concerns about roads needing paving.

Other attendees highlighted activities that introduced them to downtown businesses.

Jennifer Schmidt praised the art show, opportunities to watch artists work and a scarecrow scavenger hunt.

“It helped me get acquainted with all the new businesses around town,” Schmidt said.

Wayne Stafford, a pastor with Pilgrims Way Baptist Church, said the church distributed 50 Bibles, along with diapers, wipes and water, at no charge.

Little Lights Creative Co. reported painting children’s faces throughout the day and thanked organizers for the opportunity to participate. Janice Ann Summers said her 2-year-old grandson visiting from Charlotte enjoyed seeing fire trucks and wore a hat he received from firefighters throughout his visit.

Some comments raised concerns about the number of church booths and firearm-related offerings. Allison May questioned religious outreach at the event and said police were selling raffle tickets for a Glock. Her comment also praised the festival’s organization. The supplied town recap did not address the raffle. Police and fire department gun raffles are common in the region.

Alex Meredith Parker questioned the street layout, saying earlier arrangements that allowed visitors to walk down the center of the street made it easier to see and meet friends. It has been in the same format for a couple of years.

Town officials thanked employees, event partners, vendors, and downtown businesses for their work. Ginger Sexton Dancy also posted thanks on behalf of herself and her husband, Mayor Jimmy Dancy, to every town employee who helped make the festival happen.

The town invited attendees to share photographs and their favorite moments on its Facebook page.