GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – Last Thursday, historic downtown Gridley experienced an event that effortlessly brought fall-fun to town, the Harvest Festival.

While Gridley may have had many other events by the same name, this Harvest Festival was brought to the community by the businesses of downtown Gridley.

The historic area has recently seen a resurgence of new businesses, which pooled together to fill the streets last week with a plethora of fresh and funky finds.

From brightly colored hair extensions, custom made ball caps and felt cowboy hats, macabre and dark Halloween inspired décor and jewelry, crafts and more.

Co-Owners of Eight Six O, Sara Kelley and Natalie Ratliff smile as the Harvest Festival gets started on the streets outside their boutique and salon.

Goodies from Sweeties sweet shop were available for sale, the doors of boutiques Eight Six-O, The Farmers Wives and The Mercantile were opening late for shoppers, along with the many vendors that filled the streets.

The four way stop at Kentucky and Hazel was filled with bales of hay and pumpkins, courtesy of Kayla Dunlap and Wheeler Ranch and Feed. Children climbed the bails, picking out their favorite pumpkins to purchase and smiling big for selfies and photo opportunities.

Molly McClarrinon, owner and operator of The Mercantil, brought some of her in-store sellers with her to fill out the block between Kentucky and Ohio streets, extending the shopping experiences for event goers.

Kiddos could purchase a pumpkin either from The Mercantiles’ selection or from Wheelers to paint and decorate at a crafting station McClarrinon set up for the event.

Beauty by Heather Mae brought some wild styles to the Harvest Festival. She is one of the vendors that can be found in Eight Six O.

Facepainting, music and the smells of delicious food enticed many visitors to mill around the streets for hours, enjoying the crisp fall air and pleasant tunes provided by Music by Gerardo.

Organizers Natalie Ratliff of Eight Six 0 and Maddi Klien (Mardesich) owner of The Farmers Wives brought the idea to their fellow business owners after the success of their first event, Uptown Girls night back in August of this year. This time, they wanted to include the entire area and interested shops located in the downtown corridor.

“We knew we wanted to do a fall themed event, but make it larger and grander,” said Ratliff. “We started inviting vendors and word spread quickly about the event. Kayla Dunlap agreed to bring her pumpkins, and the event fell into place with the vision of a small-town fall night on our adorable Hazel Street.”

Grace Emerson (right) holds a beautiful bunny as she introduces youth to the values and fun of 4h. Emerson is part of the Gridley 4H group, spreading awareness about the organization during National 4-H week.

The Harvest Festival received rave reviews from attendees and is hoped to become a staple of the downtown celebration scene. Nearly 30 vendors participated in the event, which was a great start for a first-time celebration.

“Maddi and I are super proud of our quaint block downtown,” Ratliff said. “What better way to introduce new people to Downtown Gridley than having a family friendly event? Thankfully, the weather got the memo too, and it ended up being the magical evening we had envisioned!”