After missing last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 17th annual Fulton Street Fair is set to return this weekend to the Brick District in downtown Fulton.
Most of the popular two-day event’s activities are the same as in past years. But for the first time since 2004, the Mule Derby will not take place at this year’s Fulton Street Fair.
“Businesses that have participated in the past, with all the changes over the last year, they couldn’t invest,” committee member Melissa Siegel said. “So we thought we would take a year off and grow the event and let those businesses recover. This is usually a large donation race for SERVE, so we are trying to find other ways to give back to them and the community.”
The fair’s biggest musical headliner, Cody Canada & The Departed, will perform at 9 p.m. Friday.
“We haven’t been willing to bring in someone that big in years past — we just weren’t sure if we could handle that amount of crowd,” Siegel said. “But we thought this year we really needed to go big.”
Other events scheduled for Friday include: the Mule Kicker Cloggers at 6 p.m., the bike show at 6:30 p.m. and the hot air balloon glow at 7:30 p.m.
The fair will open at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with the Family Fun Run. Also on the agenda is a United Way karaoke contest at noon, car show at 1 p.m., grand parade at 5 p.m. and a 9:30 p.m. fireworks show to conclude the festivities.
This year at the Kiddie Corral, there will be a mechanical cow to go along with the farm theme that allows children to emulate milking a cow.
All 84 vendor spots for the Fulton Street Fair have been filled, Siegel said. In the past, the fair has had many different booths from homemade crafts to local businesses selling their wares as well as trinket toys for children.
Siegel explained the fair committee worked really hard to match events with someone who will receive the funds.
For example, the Family Fun Run always has someone who is a benefactor of the money generated, and the cornhole tournament sponsor chooses an individual as well to receive the proceeds from it. The idea is to find a way for any income that exceeds what is needed to be given back to the community.
“We have had really good support,” Siegel said. “We were a little worried about sponsorships, just as in individual businesses might have taken their own financial hurt this past year, and we’re being sensitive to that. We weren’t really sure who to ask, but then we realized we need to ask everyone and allow them to say no.”
The Fulton Street Fair’s numbered buttons are still available for purchase — drawings for those will take place at 8 p.m. Saturday.
The event itself is free along with most of the activities. Wristbands for the carnival can be purchased at the carnival booth.
For more information on the full schedule of events, as well as updates, visit the Fulton Street Fair on Facebook or at www.fultonstreetfair.com.