Scoping out all the goodies at the West Side Nut Club’s annual Fall Festival is a tough job, and the staff of Evansville Living happily steps up to the plate. After three days of exploring West Franklin Street, here are five of our must-do recommendations.
Save Room For …
… new spins on favorite foods. Building Blocks (Booth 126) adds a twist to pigs-in-a-blanket Pig Shots: fat slices of sausage are wrapped in thick, crispy bacon, stuffed with cream cheese, and slathered in a honey barbecue sauce. Its neighbors at Community of Christ (Booth 128) have a hit on their hands with the buffalo burger, made of genuine bison meat. Another craveable menu item is the cheesy pig sticks, cheese-wrapped sausage stuck on a stick and deep fried to a golden crisp in a result that Community of Christ member Don Shanks says customers have called “fall festival on a stick.”
“Sales have been good for both,” he says. “The cheesy pig sticks have become a fest favorite for many of our customers.”
Seeking something more traditional? The always popular blackberry, peach, and lemon cobblers served with vanilla ice cream by SWIRCA & More (Booth 78) have earned legions of fans over the years and hit the sweet spot after a day of feasting on fried food.
Listen For …
… street musicians. That smooth brass sound you hear? That’s Charlie and Jacob Adams playing jazz at St. Joseph Avenue and West Franklin Street. The brothers — and Castle High School grads — frequently haul out their instruments (trombone for Charlie, trumpet for Jacob) for impromptu street music sessions around Newburgh, Indiana, and Evansville. Passersby at this year’s fall festival quickly have become fans of the pair’s tunes, dropping more than $100 in tips on Tuesday evening alone.
Pick Up …
… trading cards from Evansville Police Department’s K9 team. Get to know working dogs like Boomer — a young, suitably named Labrador Retriever who loves swimming and, with his handler Blake Keen, specializes in explosive detection and tracking — and Ace — a 5-year-old German Shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix with a sharp nose for Fall Festival food crumbs who works patrol and narcotics detection with handler Doug Bueltel.
Say “Cheers” …
… with a carry-out alcoholic beverage from your favorite West Franklin Street restaurant or bar. With the festival’s booths commanding most food sales, West Franklin Street restaurants often look for other ways to bring in revenue for a week. One strategy is carry-out alcohol sales, which, although they do not violate state or local open container laws in Indiana, aren’t an option frequently used by restaurants and bars.
Several businesses are offering beer, wine, and craft cocktails for sale in resealable containers, as required by law, so customers can purchase an alcoholic beverage and carry it around the festival with them. For example, customers can step inside a tent outside Chaser’s Bar & Grill to buy cans of Miller, Coors, Busch, and Bud Lite beers, plus White Claw and lemonade, apple, and honey flavors of Jack Daniels, Crown Royal, and more liquors.
At Mexican eatery and tequila bar Noche Cantina & Cocina, bartenders are staying busy serving ready-made to-go margaritas in resealable containers that were ordered just days ago.
“It has been a hit so far,” Noche’s General Manager Blake DeWeese says of the restaurant’s to-go margaritas. “We just started doing it Tuesday, and we have had multiple customers return. The word seems to be spreading.”
That said, being publicly intoxicated, drinking alcohol in a moving vehicle, and bringing outside alcohol into a restaurant or bar remain illegal in Indiana.
Try To Spot …
… a special West Side Nut Club commemoration. Made of silver and shaped like an acorn, each silver dollar-size medallion signifies the Nut Club member who had the distinction of selling a winning half-pot ticket. In 2023, Jeff Butts, a 20-year-plus club member, handed out what ended up being the winning ticket for the wildly popular half-pot raffle, which racked up $1,823,320 in funds for the ticket holder and the Nut Club’s own operational costs and philanthropic efforts. At this year’s festival, Butts proudly sports his medallion on the bolero around his neck. The half-pot raffle originated at the 2019 festival, so there are only five “winning ticket seller” buttons. Look for the men sporting the familiar Nut Club hats and try to spot the lucky few wearing the half-pot medallions.
ICYMI: Find five important Fall Festival tips in the September/October issue.
