Fall Festival 2024
Oh, what fun! Neighbors, friends and visitors celebrate the beauty of fall and Millersville at a colorful community get-together along our stretch of scenic Fall Creek.
Mother Nature delivered a spectacular October day. And the new Millersville Fall Festival delivered big fun – with special events, vendors, food catered by local restaurants, music, education, and loads of bright, sunny smiles.
Birds of prey at The Overlook
Festival-goers gathered in the morning at the Millersville Fall Creek Overlook, anxious to meet live birds of prey.
Mark Booth, with Take Flight! Wildlife Education, shared fascinating stories and details about each of four birds – their predatory natures and life habits, and a bit about wildlife conservation.
On hand were a peregrine falcon and a red-tailed hawk (both shown below), an American kestral, and a barred owl.
Fire truck fun
Our Indianapolis Fire Department – local Engine 8 and crew – gave folks a close-up peek at a truck and gear.
Fall wreath-making
A special event at our Fall Creek Preserve. Registered guests crafted wreaths for fall decorating with design coaching from Petalpushr. Gourmet refreshments were donated by Geist Charcuterie.
Instructor Amanda Brundage from Petalpushr
Pumpkin patch
At our free pumpkin patch, we gave away 200 pumpkins – donated by Hogan Farms Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze!
And so much more to see and do…
Discovering creek critters, brought by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Amazing supporters made this event happen!
We wanted to do something special to bring people together and share the wonders of the community where we love to live. But our organization is a nonprofit, completely dependent on volunteers and donations. So supporters of all kinds were needed to make this possible. And we are so grateful to all who helped!
Many thanks to…
Festival Chairperson Sheila Roumpf (right) with volunteer Julie Houston
Event chairperson
- Sheila Roumpf, Millersville board member. Sheila envisioned the Festival and stepped up to lead the entire effort – an enormous volunteer job!
Key sponsors
- Reconnecting to Our Waterways, for sponsoring our event with a generous donation – a Waterways Committee Grant. We couldn’t have done it without you!
- Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, for sponsoring our Take Flight! Wildlife Education presentation, and live music provided by musicians from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra – with a Little BIG Grant
Indianapolis Symphony trio
Donors who helped make the day memorable
- Hogan Farms Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze – for 200 pumpkins we gave away at our free pumpkin patch
- Geist Charcuterie – for gourmet treats at our fall wreath-making class
- Starbucks – for hot coffee setup for vendors and volunteers
- And a number of anonymous individuals who donated things we needed – from balloons, flowers and hay bales, to posters and printing, to volunteer snacks, and more
Millersville food vendors
- Garrett’s Smokehouse Barbeque
- La Cantina Mexican Grill
More vendors and booths
- A & B Farmhouse
- Bike Indianapolis
- Binford Redevelopment and Growth (BRAG)
- Black Worldschoolers Mobile Bookstore, (sponsored by the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana)
- Creative Eclectic
- Far Fetched Dog Rescue
- Friends of White River
- Geeky Crafty Girl
- Indiana Department of Environmental Management
- Indianapolis Bread Co.
- It’s On & Poppin Popcorn
- Jazzi Jewelz Collection Boutique
- Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
- Mindful Pieces Behavior Therapy
- Papa Curl Ice Cream Truck
- Piggalous gourmet dog treats and pet items, Cindy Smith
- Swan Made 4 U
- Wild Thing Wellness
Volunteers
A huge shout-out to volunteers who helped with planning, vendor relations, communications, setup and cleanup:
- Dixie Atwood
- Matt Benson
- Mollie Benson
- Debbie Black
- Cac Diehr
- Courtney Graham
- Kristie Graham
- Tom Graham
- Geoff Hall
- Melinda Hall
- David Hammes
- Amy Hammes
- Kathy Herman
- Julie Houston
- Stephanie Marshall
- Shirley Rohnke
- Sheila Roumpf
- Kevin Senninger
- Kim Smith
- Matt Voynovich
- Sofia Voynovich
- Nikki Zubak
- John Zubak
And big thanks to:
- Phyllis Starks and her Millersville Quick-Hitter Litter Cleanups team who, along with more volunteers from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and Friends of White River, coordinated two litter pickups to make sure our greenway and waterway were ready for this event.
Other
- Indy’s Department of Public Works – for coordinating road repairs and a streetsweeper the morning of the festival
- The courteous security detail provided by First Watch Patrol