Step back in time at the Fall Fest at Wilson Brewer Park Saturday
The Butter Cow Lady, Sarah Pratt, will give program starting at 1 p.m. at Mulberry Center Church
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It will be a day of unique experiences for anyone who heads to the Wilson Brewer Park on Saturday as the 2026 Fall Fest kicks off at 1 p.m.
Members of the Wilson Brewer Park and Foundation Board sponsor this event, which brings to the Webster City community, activities and processes that are not easily discovered in most small towns. But without the community sponsorships the scale would be much different.
Ryan Rupiper is the Chairman of the Foundation board, and he has worked tirelessly to make the event something unique.
"Our goal is to bring pioneer days or historical hands-on events into the park, and have people experience what it took to live in those early years," said Rupiper.
Rupiper, who has served on the board since 2023, thinks the weather will be perfect for people to enjoy the events.
"I'm most excited about Paul Sams, the rope making guy and Sarah Pratt, the Butter Cow lady," he said, "These are new and unique experiences and they are hands on experiences."
Sarah Pratt will begin the afternoon at 1 p.m. with a program inside the Mulberry Center Church, explaining the process of creating a sculpture out of butter.
"I will not be creating an individual sculpture," said Pratt. After the program is completed, she will move outside.
She started doing this program for her home community of Toledo about 20 years ago.
"This will be the first time I bring it to an outdoor setting," she said, " I will be bringing some sticks of butter and will have the community help with some sculptures.
This part of the program, called "Butter Together", involves the community at large. "We will be working to build a small sculpture city of butter. Butter Together, really focuses on how art and sculpture brings community together."
This will be the first year for a long time that the Courthouse will be open.
"The Hamilton County Courthouse, will be open for tours." Rupiper said, "The exhibits are ready on both floors."
The courthouse had to have a lot of work completed in the last three years to make the building save and usable. Everything inside the courthouse had to be removed, then after the work was completed, the exhibits had to be redesigned and replaced.
"There is a lot of history in the courthouse that people don't realize is here. They will be amazed at the local history that is on display there," he said.
There are a lot of volunteer hours that went into the project to reopen the courthouse.
"Darlene Dingman put in a tremendous amount of volunteer hours into putting the Courthouse display together," he said.
In addition to the courthouse, the Depot museum and other buildings will be open for viewing. Exhibitors will be in the center part of the park with many unique activities. Both the Steam Engine train demonstration and Barrel train rides will be available for the little ones. Homemade candle making, and a dutch over cooking demonstration will be held, in addition to a blacksmith demonstration.
"Scott and Evan Ely are bringing their honey making and black walnut syrup demonstration also to the Fall Fest," Rupiper said, but there is even more to be found during the afternoon.
There will be a S'more roasting station, pumpkin painting, Cat Hut kittens, the Hovick Petting zoo, and many fall vendors, and food trucks on hand at the park. Polly's mums and fall decor will also be on hand to show how to decorate for fall.
This event wouldn't happen without the support of many sponsors who help fund the activities that will be on hand. From Tamiann Parrot Accounting, Availa Bank, First State Bank, Polly's in Stanhope, the Lana Jensen family, The Webster City Church of Christ, Asbury Methodist Church, Peggy Joslin with CountryTwist, Katelin Hartmann with Infinity Dermatology, Boone River Financial, Legacy Learning and the Wilson Brewer Park Foundation, their donations help make this happen each year.
"Donations are always welcome and encouraged, either at the festival or when touring the buildings. These funds help with upkeep and support the programs and projects like the Fall Fest."
So grab the kids, grab your honey, and trek on down to the Wilson Brewer Park for a fun-tastic step back into the past. It's where you can also step back on the road to the future, and be grateful for all who helped Webster City grow into the city we have today.