83rd
annual West Side Nut Club Fall Festival opens Monday
by John
LeForest, THG News
Evansville’s annual West
Side Nut Club Fall Festival has quietly become the second largest street
festival in America, with only Mardi Gras attracting more visitors each year.
For the 83rd time, the city will shut down Franklin Street during the
first full week of October (this year from October 4-9) so that folks from all
over the country can enjoy the festivities.
How does the Nut Club, a
civic-minded social club of Evansville men, attract 150,000 visitors to the Fall
Festival each year without booze, bare breasts, or a big name? With great food,
and lots of it! This year, 125 schools, churches, clubs, civic groups and other
nonprofit organizations will serve up just about anything edible that can be
deep-fried, candy-coated or stuck on a stick. Some of this year’s delicacies
include Chocolate-Covered Crickets, Icky Licky Suckers (with a cricket inside),
Cajun alligator jerky, and Crocodile Tacos.
Most tri-state residents
return year after year to sample the food and fun the festival has to offer.
“My goal is to eat something from every booth this year,” said Evansville
resident Kevin Bruce, “I am taking my vacation this week so I can eat three
meals a day there. If I really push myself, I think I can do it.”
