Growing up in a small rural town, I have experienced small town life and all that entails. Imagine my surprise, when I had been at the annual Downtown Overland Park Fall Festival all day, and was filled with that same vibe. As a vendor, I was able to meet new people, smell the amazing food, listen to the great bands and enjoy the beautiful day.

There was such a mix of people and things to see. Everyone seemed to be enjoying him or herself. Some had brought their pets, who seemed to be having fun as well. There was a large diversity of vendors from photography to pottery to fun seasonal items. There was definitely something for everyone – and that goes for the food too. Is it wrong to have freshly made crab rangoon for breakfast and gyro for lunch? Nope, it’s a festival. The freshly squeezed limeades and key lime pie on a stick were just a few of the sinful offerings that day.

As the afternoon wore on, the weather changed and the rain eased its way into the area. The people weren’t dissuaded – it just made way for a sea of umbrellas to open up. I was warned about the weather earlier so it wasn’t a surprise. However, I was surprised that people stuck it out and it didn’t seem to damper any spirits.

My little booth did pretty well. I am co-owner of KC Cake Pops, LLC. We had nine different flavors available and sold completely out of three of them. It was fun to see the reactions of people who have never tried cake-on-a-stick, dipped in chocolate. They were a total crowd pleaser and we love to introduce these little pieces of heaven to everyone around us. We got some new fans on Facebook and were able to give away a free dozen in a drawing.  

I hope I am able to come back to the Overland Park Fall Festival next year. It was a fun day and some great memories were made. It’s obvious that a lot of planning and preparation are done to make this day a success for everyone involved. My only complaint is that I didn’t know about it sooner.

~Becca

About the Author
Becca Helzer is co-owner of KC Cake Pops – striving to supply Kansas City and surrounding areas with cake pops - which were just described as “heaven-on-a-stick.”