Cultural food vendors bring tradition and community to 2026 Fall Festival

The Westside Nut Club’s annual Fall Festival is known for its five-block stretch of food vendors serving festival favorites. But look closely, and you’ll find vendors showcasing  rich culinary traditions of communities of color and diverse nationalities.

Of the 137 food vendors, those representing communities of color and ethnicity include: Evansville African American Museum, Young & Established, Grace of Christ Mission Ukrainian, Cleaves Memorial CME Church, Evansville Latino Center, and Germania Mannerchor. 

Most food vendors at the fall festival have attended for decades, with some claiming the same spot as a tradition. This year, the Evansville African American Museum attended the festival for the first time—marking a milestone for the museum and the people it serves. 

The museum served the widely known ‘Donut Burger’. The popular festival favorite came into the museum’s possession when the original makers, Grace and Pace Lutheran Church, donated the recipe earlier this year. The church is preparing to close and chose the Museum as the recipient to uphold its donut burger tradition o continue preserving the history of African Americans in the area. 

Scherilla Holland, volunteering with the museum’s booth, said what stands out to her is the support they received from community members and organizations. She noted that many lent a hand to make their first year at the festival a success. 

“We had members from SIMA, Southern Indiana Mentoring Academy, helping,” Holland said. “Even from the community, we had people come over to the SIMA office to do some prep work. Even though it started at the African American Museum, it’s a community event where everyone working together in unity and love.”

For some organizations, the festival’s impact extends far beyond Evansville. While proceeds from the African American Museum help sustain its operations and support the local cultural community, a portion of the proceeds from Grace of Christ Mission Ukraine’s booth reaches people thousands of miles away.

Victoria Mayatskiy with Mission Ukraine said everyone volunteering at their booth is Ukrainian. She’s from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. She said there’s “a lot of action” in Kharkiv, referring to the war, and that some of the proceeds will help families affected by it. 

Mayatskiy told reporters that the food they offer is the kind they would make at home for their families. Popular household Ukrainian favorites served there included Pelmeni, Varenyky, Cheburek, and Ukrainian Borsch. 

“Everyone in this booth either came before the war started or during,” Mayatskiy said. “So we’re all speaking Ukrainian or Russian in there. I know people there [Ukraine], pastors, and those on the ground during the war. So we send money to them for evacuations, food, water, or medicine. They see the need, we trust them, and that’s why we send money to them.”

Cleaves Memorial C.M.E. Church, a Black congregation in central Evansville, serves a fall favorite: the mutton sandwich. Volunteer Sherry Bard said the church has participated in the festival for more than 20 years.

They used to serve pastrami, which Bard said wasn’t too popular with the crowd. They switched to ribtips but realized that wasn’t a fan favorite either. But since they introduced their Mutton Sandwich, festivalgoers consider it a must-try. 

Bard said festivalgoers have told her Mutton is very hard to find in the immediate area, which she feels makes their sandwich a dime a dozen. The church operates as a nonprofit, so the proceeds benefit its different ministries.

“We have a Cleaves closet, which we have every third Saturday,” Bard said. “We give back to the community. If a member needs assistance with their medications, we do not mind assisting; we don’t mind helping our sick and shut-in. We have a van ministry.”

Next year’s fall festival is scheduled for October 3, 2027, to October 9, 2027.   

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2026 Fall Festival