FALL FESTIVAL 2018
Page 9
Community tradition
City welcomes weekend visitors to annual event
Paul Sincock, Plymouth city manag-
er, is a bit too young to recall the origi-
nal Rotary picnic in what was then
Hamilton Park which has evolved into
the festival celebrated the weekend
following Labor Day every year in the
city..
“It's a great community picnic,” said
Sincock, who is in the trenches of the
PlymouthNoon Rotary barbeque grills
and serving lines each year. Fall
Festival is set for Sept. 7-9 in and
aroundPlymouth'sKelloggPark.
Its roots go back to the late 1950s
Rotary picnic at what's now
Fairground Park, noted Sincock, who's
the district governor for RotaryDistrict
6400 this year. “It eventually moved
downtown and turned into a several-
day festival,” he said.
“It's where the community recon-
nects with each other before the win-
termonths set in,” he said.
Public safety is a top concern, he
agreed, noting, “This is obviously one
of our major events.” Fire stations are
fully staffed during Plymouth Fall
Festival with Huron Valley Ambulance
paramedics traveling by bicycle
through the crowds to make sure
everyone isOK.
The ambulances are there “in the
event we need to transport somebody,”
said Sincock, noting Plymouth Police
Department staffers usually walk
through Fall Festival grounds. The city
of Plymouth works with Wayne County
Sheriff's reservists to assist with
overnight security, he said.
“It's always a great event, come see
everyone in town. Plymouth is very
service-based rather than government-
based,” said Sincock. Many service
clubs and organizations participate in
the three-day festival.
“They're such a critical element to
the culture and community,” said
Sincock.
Agreeing with Sincock is Wes Graff,
president of the Plymouth Community
Chamber of Commerce. Graff noted
the heavy Plymouth involvement of
nonprofits and service clubs.
“The government does not neces-
sarily run those,” Graff said. “They
help facilitate them. We all do our own
part.”
He's proud of the chamber Saturday
morning Farmers Market, continuing
through October in and around The
Gathering indowntownPlymouth.
“The service clubs come together”
for Fall Festival, Graff said, citing the
Spaghetti Dinner, Pancake Breakfast
and others put on by service clubmem-
bers. “Those are major fundraisers for
those clubs. We're fortunate with the
communitywehave,” saidGraff.
Julie Brown
Staff Writer
