A customer receives her purchase from Ashley Garske of Aldrich Farm Stand. Garske was among the local vendors offering fashions and accessories at the second annual Harvest Moon Festival.

 

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The second annual Harvest Moon Festival stopped traffic again as it closed streets in downtown Gridley on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 4 to 7 p.m.

That evening, downtown businesses kept their doors open late and joined approximately 27 vendors for a new yet popular evening of shopping, food, beverages and community connection.

Hosted by local businesses Eight Six-O and The Mercantile, this year’s festival saw increased vendor interest, with organizers Molly McClarinnon and Natalie Ratliff at the helm of planning.

Despite the outpouring of interest from vendors drawn to the Harvest Moon Festival after a highly successful first event, Ratliff said she considered not having the festival at all.

Gridley resident Kyla Pearl receives a tarot card reading from Juanita, a new addition to the Harvest Moon Festival. “It was fun. I needed it,” Pearl said afterward.

Ratliff said last year’s co-organizers had either closed their downtown businesses or were no longer able to share the planning load. The Mercantile’s McClarinnon answered the call, having been an active participant in the 2025 event.

Ratliff and McClarinnon began planning in August, and Ratliff said improved preparation helped generate strong interest, ultimately leaving organizers with more vendors than they could accommodate.

“I had to turn some people away,” said Ratliff, who worried about whether the community would support the event as strongly as its first installment.

It did. The event was described as an outstanding success for the downtown area, and people were seen enjoying the evening.

Harvest Moon Festival co-organizer Natalie Ratliff stands beside one of her jewelry displays during the downtown Gridley event.

“Seeing our downtown filled with families, friends, laughter and so much community spirit is exactly why we love putting on events like this,” Ratliff said.

The Harvest Moon Festival encompassed two blocks of Hazel Street between Virginia and Vermont streets. A pumpkin patch photo booth, courtesy of Wheeler Ranch & Feed, filled the center of the event, spanning a good portion of the Kentucky and Hazel streets intersection.

“It’s bigger this year. There are more people,” said Gridley Area Chamber of Commerce member and Gridley resident Garth Mayberry as he and his wife, Cindy, enjoyed refreshments from vendors such as Bastiani Ristorante & Pasticceria.

Jessica Diaz smells candles and explores the displays at The Mercantile, owned by Harvest Moon Festival co-organizer Molly McClarinnon.

New vendors included “coming soon” businesses such as Bastiani’s, along with tarot readings, pumpkin painting and face painting.

With the second annual festival behind them, organizers are already looking ahead to more opportunities to bring the community together. Ratliff expressed interest in holding an event closer to Christmas, similar to the one she helped organize last year.

“As small business owners, the love and support our community continues to show means more than you know,” Ratliff said. “Events like this remind us just how special our little town is.”