The Menus, a car show, and fireworks highlighted the annual Trenton Fall Fest. On October 1, people gathered at Trenton Community Park to enjoy a night of relaxation and a sense of connectedness.

Assistant to the City Manager, Human Resources, and Event Coordinator Sharon Leichman helped to organize this event. “We do events for our residents and visitors; the goal is always for people to enjoy being in Trenton,” she said. 

Everyone has something to do, it’s not aimed at only one particular group of people. “There is something for everyone. Vendors, music, games, fireworks…it’s an awesome event,” said Emily Smith, who sits on the Parks and Recreation Board for the City of Trenton and is also the owner, manager, and piano teacher at Keys to Your Dream.

It was a free event, anyone was welcome to come and enjoy the Fest. “Many of the special activities, such as the face painting, video game trailer, kids games, etc, were paid for by the city. People kept coming up to ask us where to pay… but they didn’t have to! I think it was a blessing to people to have a free event to bring their families to,” Smith said. 

It was a relaxing event that played smoothly. “It was an 8-hour event and many people stayed all day because there was that much to do. It was never crazy or hectic–it was calm, well thought through, and well put together,” said Smith. 

Although the event was a success some parts of it have room for improvement, specifically more things for kids. Smith said, “We had a kid zone with tabletop games, a face painter, and the playground. I think it would be fun to add in some bounce houses or organized sports games.”. Diane Herbel, a vendor that attended, had similar views and said, ”Bouncy houses and/or oversized yard games for the kids would be fun.”

Another improvement could be a different choice of date. The EHS homecoming overshadowed the event and may have contributed to a smaller crowd. “I did hear people say it wasn’t well attended this year due to it being homecoming night, “ Said Herbel, “so many people said they didn’t even know about it, and have lived in Trenton for years and have never been.” 

The first Fall Fest happened in 2019. “We were discussing ideas for events after the amphitheater was completed,” said Leichman. The event was organized by a multitude of people. “We are so grateful to our volunteers, Council and Board members, and staff that put in an immense amount of time and effort to make all city events happen,” said Leichman

The event was an overall success according to Sharon Leichman and others. “People have reached out to me to say what a great time they had, and multiple vendors have already requested to be in Fall Fest 2023,” Leichman said.

The poster for the 2022 Trenton Fall Fest (Courtesy of Emily Smith)