TURNERS FALLS — Although 2022 marked the final year of the traditional Great Falls Festival, a new group of organizers has banded together to put on a unique version that pays homage to its beloved predecessor.

“I feel like this is a pilot,” said Montague Public Libraries Director Caitlin Kelley, who serves on the steering committee for the Saturday, Oct. 21 event. “So much work has been done to figure out what this is in contrast with last year, so I hope this sets a precedent for future years.”

The Great Falls Festival, formerly known as “Pumpkinfest,” offered food, vendors and various entertainment since 2010. The tradition was brought to an end with one last festival in October 2022, with organizer Mike Nelson explaining that “an unfathomable amount of planning and execution” left the team of volunteers “beyond exhausted” after a dozen years.

Rather than directly reprise the tradition, this year’s festival, organized and sponsored by a team of town officials and local businesses, will be “paying homage” to what came before it, bearing both similarities and differences to the Great Falls Festival, according to steering committee member Linda Tardif.

“Certainly, the Pumpkin Festival made such a mark on the area,” said Tardif, who serves as managing director of the Shea Theater Arts Center, a partner of the Falls Fest. “Of course, while we’re not trying to recreate the same thing, we want the spirit of really highlighting our great community to continue.”

The Selectboard approved permitting for assembly, a one-day liquor license for the Shea Theater and the use of public space during its meeting on Monday. The applications, submitted by Shea Theater President Christopher “Monte” Belmonte, projected that 2,000 people might attend the inaugural festival.

The event will center around Avenue A and downtown Turners Falls, with festivities set for the Shea Theater, the Great Falls Discovery Center, The Rendezvous restaurant, Peskeomskut Park and Spinner Park. Avenue A will remain open throughout the duration of the festival, as there will be no outside vendors filling the street. Plus, organizers hope to bring traffic to local businesses.

“I love the idea of the organizers now making Avenue A feel more open and putting the businesses in front, rather than them feeling like they’re behind the action,” Belmonte said. Tardif added that some of these businesses will feature special offerings during the festival.

“They wanted an event that celebrated them and this event was designed to do that,” Kelley added.

Nelson, as former organizer of the Great Falls Festival, said it is “really awesome” that a new group of organizers “stepped up.” Speaking from experience, he acknowledged that organizing a fall festival is “certainly an incredible amount of work.”

“I’m incredibly appreciative that this group could come together,” he said. “People are very quick to complain, but very slow to step up when necessary, and these guys did quite rapidly.”

He encouraged those attending this year’s festival to keep an open mind and leave expectations at the door, stressing that the event is an entirely separate entity from the festival he had organized for 12 years. He added that he is very excited to finally be able to attend a fall festival where he can simply relax and enjoy himself.

Shea Theater

The Shea Theater will have art installations on display to enjoy for free throughout the day courtesy of Cloudgaze Productions and Eggtooth Productions. The art installations will remain from the previous day’s “A Happening,” which organizers described in previous years as “a uniquely powerful immersive experience for performers and audience alike, where the lines between witness and participant are disrupted and dissolved.”

“It’s a way to have ‘A Happening’ happen twice,” Tardif said.

From noon to 4 p.m., there will be a maker’s market with vendors from across the Pioneer Valley, along with demonstrations and participatory art. Following that will be a 5 p.m. storytelling program recounting Greek and Roman myths, along with a 6 p.m. bring-your-own-instrument improv session and a 7 p.m. karaoke session.

Peskeomskut Park

A beer garden will be open from 1 to 6 p.m. featuring brewers from around the region, including Pioneer Valley Brewing Co. and Berkshire Brewing Co., along with live music performed all afternoon.

Great Falls Discovery Center

From 1 to 6 p.m., the Great Falls Discovery Center will host several family-friendly events. Conservación Panamá will teach children and adults how to use a map and compass to navigate New England, while also challenging them with a custom orienteering course.

At the same time, the Friends of the Montague Public Libraries will be hosting a free book sale for kids. From 2 to 3 p.m., Great Falls Creative Movement will host a dance performance.

Third Street parking lot and Spinner Park

From 2 to 9 p.m. several local music artists, including the Wes Brown Trio and Stella Kola, will be performing in the Third Street parking lot next to The Rendezvous.

A to-be-determined list of local solo and duo artists will also be performing at Spinner Park throughout the afternoon.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.