В Огдене пройдет масштабный фестиваль Harvest Moon: музыка, ремесленники и более 35 тысяч гостей

In 2002, the mountainside city of Ogden began marking the end of summer and the onset of fall with its Harvest Moon Celebration that transformed Historic 25th Street into an outdoor party venue on a mid-September Saturday. That autumnal gathering still continues to thrive and grow. This year, on September 19 from 10 am until 9 pm, residents and visitors will find live music, scores of local artisans, fresh-picked fall produce, family-friendly fun, and a beer garden where adults can grab brewed beverages and browse the street, “drink in hand.” How it Began Sara Toliver recently strolled down memory lane to recount Harvest Moon’s humble beginnings. She owned award-winning businesses on 25th Street from 2000 to 2007, and has since served as president of Visit Ogden for the past 18 years.  “During my time on the street, my mom, Jo Packham, – along with Heidi Harwood (City Club), Kym Buttschardt (Roosters), Todd Ferrario (Bistro 258), and I founded the Historic 25 th Business Association. We recognized that the success of the street depended on working together to market it as a destination rather than promoting our individual businesses,” Toliver said. “Harvest Moon Celebration was born from that collaborative spirit and our desire to bring people to 25th Street.” In summer 2002, Ryan Christiansen of Key Bank approached Toliver and the Association to discuss partnering on a downtown event. Toliver viewed it as “an incredible opportunity to work with the many family-oriented nonprofits and attractions in our community.”  Rather than featuring the usual bounce house to keep the kiddos occupied, Toliver said they sought out the Ogden Nature Center, Ott Planetarium, Treehouse Museum, and other local entities to create activities that kids of all ages could enjoy and learn from.  Then as nightfall arrived, the venue’s vibe shifted to live music, entertainment and an on-street beer garden, which Toliver noted was not at all commonplace at the time. She remembered their uncertainty about hosting such an event and whether it might flop. “We were all-hands-on-deck — closing the street, setting up booths and the stage. And as the starting time neared, I found Ryan Christiansen standing at the street closure barricades on Grant and 25th, looking east up 25 th Street,” Toliver said. “I went over and asked him if he was okay, and he said, in a bit of an anxious whisper, ‘Do you think anyone is going to come?’” Folks showed up in droves. Making Friends Kym Buttschardt and her husband Pete are longtime owners of Rooster’s, a brewpub on Historic 25th Street, along with other locations in West Ogden, Layton and the Salt Lake International Airport. They also own and operate Union Grill on Ogden’s 24th Street. “[Harvest Moon] was really a catalyst for people envisioning that you could gather in downtown Ogden on this very special historic street,” Buttschardt said of the ever-expanding roster of events held in that backdrop. “As those events grew, the infrastructure needed to change.”  Ferrario owned and operated Bistro 258 on 25th Street in the early 2000s, and now serves as assistant director of Weber County Culture, Parks & Recreation. He recently reminisced about the camaraderie that grew from those early organizing days. “We were kind of the originators of the [25th Street] association and the ones that put this festival together. So there’s fond memories, laughs, tears,” Ferrario said of the journey they took without a road map. “It was like, ‘Okay, this sounds fun. Who’s on garbage duty?’”  After six or seven years of Harvest Moon, Ferrario moved on to other ventures, but he noted that those early bonds remain intact.  “It’s the making of great friends,” Ferrario said. “And 25th Street is a phenomenal place now.” Rising Expectations Reide Thompson has directed the Ogden Downtown Alliance since March 2024. The nonprofit — now in its 10th year — boosts local commerce in several ways, including ongoing programming of destination events that include a summertime Farmers Market and September’s Harvest Moon.  In February, Thompson presented the alliance’s 2025 annual report to the City Council, noting that funding flows from event production, grants (think Weber County RAMP), contracts, sponsorships, donations, and in-kind support. It receives about $180,000 annually from Ogden City as part of a 10-year contract that increases two percent each year.  In 2025, the Alliance logged $5.4 million in economic impact through events and programs, along with an approximate increase of 50,000 visitors. Last year’s Harvest Moon celebration attracted more than 35,000 people with 200 local vendors, Thompson said. And it served up surprises such as a giant pumpkin in the intersection of Grant Avenue and 25th Street, and an on-street hay bale maze for kids to navigate.  “There’s always something fun and whimsical that we add to just make it feel fresh and new every year,” Thompson said. “We’ve seen a big increase post-COVID, where more and more people are coming to downtown Ogden and seeing it as a destination for nightlife, events, concerts and activities.”  What about Parking? Ogden recently installed paid parking in parts of its downtown, but free stalls are still available in The Junction parking garages, Union Station, and the UTA Frontrunner Station, along with limited free parking on surrounding side streets. Feature Image by   Gary Fultz  on  Unsplash.