The annual Carthage Maple Leaf Festival began on October 10th and runs through the 18th with events planned each day.
The festival began in 1966 as a marching band competition, and since then, volunteers have worked to organize the event that celebrates the beauty of the area’s maple trees in the fall. Carthage is known as America’s Maple Leaf City.
The festival offers guests a variety of events and experiences. Those include a large parade, live entertainment, vendors, petting zoos and arts & crafts. Each day will have different events that highlight the local community.
"It's a nine-day festival, and we welcome all of our visitors from all over the region, said Julie Reams, president/CEO of the Carthage Chamber of Commerce. "We have over 100,000 people that partake in all of our activities throughout the whole week."
The event started October 10 with a rodeo. Events on the 11th and 12th included a chili cookoff, a baby and toddler show, a chicken pageant, a motorcycle show and more.
There's a variety of events throughout this week with Saturday, the 18th, being the biggest day, according to Reams.
Events planned Saturday include arts and crafts vendors, a parade (which Reams said is two-miles long and is believed to be the largest in the area), food vendors, car and tractor shows, Toy Con, a Renaissance Festival and live performances on the square.
To find out more about the Maple Leaf Festival, visit carthagechamber.com or call 417-358-2373.