Falling for Fall

Fall was in the air and virtually everywhere around downtown Clear Lake Saturday, as the Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Harvest Fest.  The day included all kinds of fall fun, ranging from a grape stomp and salsa contest to hay rack rides and even a 5K run/walk.   Chamber CEO Stacy Doughan said community residents and guests arrived downtown even before the 9 a.m. start and enjoyed a full day.  “We had 200 runners in our Champagne 5K, all the food trucks sold out and restaurants said it was even bigger than the Fourth of July,” said Doughan. “It was a great event for us and the community.”

Winners in various contests were:

Salsa Contest: first place Mild, Laurie O’Connor; Medium, Paul Lopez; Hot, Mark Ostermann

Champagne 5K Top 3: Ryan Smith, Owen Smith, Isaac Smith (Family affair)

$100 Shopping Spree: Nicole Praska

Pole Decorating Contest: first place, Central Gardens; second, Skips Kicks; third, Hall Realty.                

Guess the Corks: Large, Vickie Hudson; Small, Faith Miller

Best Wine of the Day: first place, Lazy Acre Winery with First Kiss; second, Van Wijk Winery with Abeja Reing – Raspberry Mead; third, The Cellar Winery with BIN 500|Frontenac