What happened to Frisco Fest? First Street was only half filled with booths and there were fewer food vendors than in years past. At noon, the street was almost empty. This can’t be only because of the heat — it has been hot the last several years.
The website (where most young people go for information) was not helpful at all. The booth map was virtually unreadable and looked like a committee planning document. The key on this map also seemed to indicate very high prices for a simple 10-by-10 booth.
The Frisco Fest is named after the Frisco Railroad, yet one of the biggest draws — the A&M Railroad — was not indicated on the website map. Since a railroad contributed to the growth of Rogers, maybe the Main Street Association should cultivate the A&M Railroad’s participation in the festival to a greater extent.
Other than the carnival rides, families looking for fun activities at booths or even shopping were sorely disappointed. More vendor and craft booths could be a bigger attendee draw as at the Tontitown Grape Festival. The pancake breakfast was too far from the action. The car show also seemed to be an afterthought and set aside (this could be moved to Poplar Street and thus include the Museum Annex.)
The Rogers Museum, which was included in the past, was completely left out of the festival. Their indoor exhibits could be gratefully attended as a respite from the heat, as well as offering insight into the growth of the city of Rogers. If one of the principal purposes of the festival is to promote downtown Rogers, the museum’s historical displays should be a must.
Sugar Creek Model Railroad & Historical Society has set up operating model trains in the Museum Annex for the last five or six years. It has repeatedly requested to be placed on the map and been ignored by the festival committee. The society has put out its own signs the last two years and been well received. Children as well as adults enjoyed the operating model train layouts.
If this year’s Frisco Fest was an indication of the health and growth of downtown Rogers, the patient is dying and in need of some proactive doctoring.
KEITH JOHNSON
president
MAIDA BENNETT
secretary
Sugar Creek Model Railroad & Historical Society Inc.