Septemberfest

Every September, the village of Mount Kisco holds an event on the streets of downtown. It started off as Sidewalk Sales, before evolving into a big celebration called SeptemberFest. In this blog post, I will be talking about the history of the event and how it has changed over time, and what to probably expect with this year’s event.

I don’t know exactly when the event first started, but I found an article that said that it had been happening for more than four decades, and as I already said, it used to be the Mount Kisco Sidewalk Sales. At this event, a bunch of local businesses would set up tables promoting themselves and selling products along South Moger Avenue. In the parking lot behind South Moger, there would be a few games, and options for food. I remember that one year one of the games was a dunk tank, another game that I remember them having was a wheel that you would spin and then you would get a prize based on where it landed, and I think there was also a plinko game. At a certain point, they also added a train ride for kids, as well as a few carnival rides. They also offered live music, performances from dance troupes, and karate demonstrations. Some of the booths that I remember being part of it include the Mount Kisco Child Care Center, clothing and jewelry merchants, banks, local businesses like The Pottery Factory, and one booth that I enjoyed going to for a few years, the Family Reach club at Fox Lane High School. This was a club that was focused on helping families that have either a kid or a parent that has been diagnosed with cancer. I enjoyed going to this booth because I would always see my friends working there.

In 2018, the event got a major upgrade and was rebranded as SeptemberFest. With this rebrand also came several changes. Instead of only happening on Saturday and Sunday, it now started on Friday evening, and it also had a much larger carnival in the parking lot behind South Moger, and even more options for food in the parking lot behind Village Hall. In the first year of the rebrand, the Sidewalk Sales only happened on Friday evening and Saturday, with just the carnival and food options on Sunday, before switching it to just the carnival on Friday evening, with the Sidewalk Sales on Saturday and Sunday. I think this was a smart choice, as I feel that people would be more likely to check out the vendor booths on a weekend afternoon than during the evening on a Friday.

They also have a carnival there with food, games, and rides that are from a company in Milton, New York called Shamrock Shows & Amusements. They offer typical carnival foods like cotton candy, popcorn, caramel corn, candy apples, lemonade, nachos, corndogs, and a fried dough called elephant ears. The games that I remember they offered at the event included a balloon popping game, and I believe they also offered a dart throwing game and a water gun game. The rides that they have offered to the event include a bungee jump, a fun slide, a Ferris wheel, a walk-through attraction called Jungle Walk, a two-level house of mirrors called Mardi Gras, a small roller coaster, a pendulum ride called Crazy Dance, another pendulum ride called Demon Loop, a ride called Dizzy Dragons, a ride for kids called Jet Ski, a ride called Paratrooper where you are on a seat that is suspended below a wheel and rotates at an angle, a ride that is a giant wheel that tilts at a steep angle, fluctuates in a wavelike manner, and spins at various speeds called Remix, a ride called SideWinder, a Scrambler ride called Sizzler, a car ride for younger kids called Speedway, and a ride called Zipper, which is a long, rotating, oblong shape with a cable around its edge that pulls twelve cars around. 

As I already said, the area that this event covers has been extended to behind Village Hall, and they have many fun things in this one area alone. This includes a massive tent with tables underneath for people to have food, an area off to the side that has live music from a band performing or a DJ playing music, a beer garden featuring beer provided by Exit 4 and wine provided by Leonard Park Wines & Spirits, and a selection of food trucks. While I don’t know exactly what food trucks are going to be there this year, I imagine that it’s going to be the same ones as last year or other food trucks that are like those ones. These food trucks include Kisco Sweets & Treats, which sells Italian ice and snow cones, the Mobile Pie Truck, which I have gotten a Margherita Pizza from several times, the Big Fish Food Truck from Mount Kisco Seafood which sells a variety of seafoods including lobster rolls and fish tacos, a food truck from Pound Ridge called Road Grub that sells Philly Cheese Steaks, baked mac & cheese, hamburgers, and hot dogs, a food truck from Mount Kisco called Crafty ‘Cue that sells barbecue food, a food truck from Peekskill called Wrapper’s Delight that sells wraps with rap inspired names, and the Tipsy Taco Food Truck from Mount Kisco, which sells a variety of Mexican foods.

Overall, I think this is a great event that all of you should go to. It happens on Friday September 13, Saturday September 14, and Sunday September 15, so go ahead and celebrate in Downtown Mount Kisco!