Forecast Brings New Site for Pendleton Fall Harvest Festival

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Pendleton’s Saturday Fall Harvest Festival is still a go, just in a slightly different location.

The festival will move indoors to Riverside Middle School (the building that previously housed Pendleton High School), 7324 S.C. Highway 187, due to a forecast rain and high winds associated with Hurricane Isaias, town officials announced.

The festival will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Previously scheduled downtown road closures for Friday and Saturday have been canceled.

Forecast winds of 15-35 mph raised concerns about outdoor tents, temporary structures and the safety of vendors, performers and visitors. Rain and heavy foot traffic could also damage the recently resodded Village Green, where the festival was originally planned.

The town’s community engagement team and department heads evaluated alternatives before recommending the move, which received support from the mayor and Town Council, said Community Engagement Manager Lindsey Watley.

Although vendor arrangements and the setting will change, officials said the entertainment schedule, musical performances, art demonstrations, community art project and Michaels arts-and-crafts activities will proceed as planned.

The festival is expected to feature more than 70 vendors, along with community organizations and live entertainment.

This year’s festival includes expanded arts programming, made possible by a South Carolina Arts Commission grant and developed through partnerships with the Pendleton Art Gallery and Michaels, which donated large canvases for a community-created artwork that organizers plan to display around Pendleton after the festival.

Anderson County accommodations tax funding (ATAX) helped pay for promotional efforts outside the area, including billboards in Asheville, North Carolina, and Columbia, aimed at attracting more visitors.

Town officials thanked Anderson School District 4 for making Riverside Middle School available on short notice.

The town also plans to review its rain-or-shine policy as part of future event planning.