10/25/2026
🌙🍂 PECULIAR, YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! THANK YOU FOR 20 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF HARVEST MOON! 🍂🌙
WOW! What an absolutely incredible day!
Yesterday, we celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Peculiar Harvest Moon Festival, and we truly could not have asked for a more perfect celebration!
The weather was beautiful, the crowds were amazing from beginning to end, and downtown Peculiar was filled with laughter, excitement, music, smiling faces, and a whole lot of community spirit.
It was everything we hoped for and so much more!
From a kids costume parade with over 1,000 children, to our hilarious Churro Eating Contest, our 20th Anniversary Bake Off, the Haunted Highline Trail, scavenger hunt, and so many incredible activities, there was something special happening around every corner!
We had the privilege of celebrating two deserving small businesses, Galaxy Treat Co. and Amelia’s Way Farms, as recipients of our Peculiar Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Grants.
Our entertainment was incredible! Thank you to In the Light, Ranahan, and Full Metal Z for bringing so much energy and excitement to our festival. And how about that surprise Thriller flash mob performed by the community members and students of In the Light?! What an awesome addition to our 20th anniversary celebration!
But what made yesterday truly special wasn’t just the activities, entertainment, or even the beautiful weather.
It was the PEOPLE. ❤️
A festival of this size does not happen overnight. It takes approximately four months of planning, countless meetings, phone calls, emails, problem solving, preparation, and a whole lot of people working together.
There are so many moving parts behind the scenes that most people never see. And when all of those parts come together, when everyone works toward the same goal, something truly beautiful happens.
Yesterday was a perfect example of what we can accomplish when our community works together.
❤️ TO OUR INCREDIBLE FESTIVAL COMMITTEE
Jennifer Bedford, Captain Grabmiller, Jeanne Squires, Jason Long, and Shannon Wells.
This team truly runs like a well oiled machine! Months of dedication, teamwork, planning, and determination went into making yesterday happen. Every person brings something important to the table, and the way this group comes together to make things happen is incredible. We cannot thank you enough for the time, effort, and heart you pour into this festival.
🚒 TO OUR CITY, MAYOR, BOARD OF ALDERMEN AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS
A tremendous thank you to the City of Peculiar, Peculiar Public Works, Peculiar Police Department, and West Peculiar Fire Protection District.
From the planning stages to the final cleanup, your help, support, and willingness to work together make an event of this size possible. We are incredibly fortunate to have city departments and community partners who care so much about making Peculiar a wonderful place to live, work, and visit.
A very special thank you to Peculiar Parks & Recreation! The work your team put into the Haunted Highline Trail was absolutely amazing! Beyond the trail, your team helped keep the entire festival running smoothly, safe, and clean throughout the day. So much of what you do happens behind the scenes, but it does not go unnoticed. We appreciate you more than words can express!
🎶 TO THOSE WHO MADE THE MAGIC HAPPEN
⭐ In the Light, thank you for providing the stage and for the amazing performances, including that unforgettable Thriller flash mob! Your students brought something truly special to this year’s festival.
⭐ Riley Entertainment, thank you for helping bring music and entertainment to our celebration!
⭐ Peculiar Game Forge, thank you for creating the incredible custom trophies for our competitions! The creativity, detail, and time you put into them made our 20th anniversary even more memorable.
⭐ Rob Wells, a huge thank you for keeping the music going all day long, managing the sound, and making sure our bands sounded fantastic! From the first moments of the festival to the final performance, your work helped keep the energy going all day.
⭐ First Baptist Church, thank you for your continued support and for helping make our kids costume parade possible.
And to every volunteer, helper, and individual who gave their time, carried supplies, helped with setup, answered questions, directed families, cleaned up, or jumped in wherever needed, THANK YOU!
🧡 TO OUR AMAZING VENDORS AND FOOD & DRINK TRUCKS
YOU are the heart of Harvest Moon!
Our streets were filled with incredible small businesses, talented artisans, delicious food, unique products, and hardworking entrepreneurs.
We know the time, preparation, and hard work that go into participating in an event like this, and we are so grateful that you chose to spend your Saturday with us. You helped make downtown Peculiar come alive!
🌙 TO OUR GENEROUS 2026 HARVEST MOON SPONSORS
Events like this would not be possible without the businesses and organizations that believe in investing in our community.
A HUGE thank you to our Main Festival Sponsor, Monkey Printing! Thank you for your continued support, for helping us celebrate 20 years of Harvest Moon, and for leading our amazing kids costume parade!
Gold Sponsors:
Love to Smile Dentistry and Price Chopper
Silver Sponsors:
Reed Ford and UMB Bank Peculiar
Bronze Sponsors:
Peculiar Games & Hobbies, Orstad Tax & Business Solutions, Broadway Improvement Group, MCC Longview, and Community Bank Peculiar
We also want to recognize the generous contributions and in-kind support of Peculiar Parks & Recreation, the City of Peculiar, In the Light, First Baptist Church, Wells Family Homestead, Peculiar Police Department, Blue Collar Mortgage, Riley Entertainment, West Peculiar Fire, Peculiar Game Forge, and Jeanne Squires.
Your generosity, partnerships, and commitment to our community mean so much. Thank you for helping us create an event that families can enjoy and memories that will last for years to come!
❤️ AND FINALLY, TO OUR COMMUNITY…
THANK YOU, PECULIAR!
Thank you to every family who brought their children, every person who walked our downtown streets, every visitor who traveled to celebrate with us, and every smiling face we saw throughout the day.
You showed up, you supported our local businesses, you cheered on our contestants, you danced to the music, you made memories, and you reminded us exactly why we do what we do.
Twenty years of Harvest Moon. Twenty years of memories. Twenty years of bringing our community together.
Yesterday reminded us that the success of this festival isn’t measured simply by how many people attend or how many activities we offer. It’s measured by the community that comes together to make it happen.
As the Peculiar Area Chamber of Commerce, we are incredibly proud to be part of a community where businesses, organizations, city departments, volunteers, and residents can come together to create something this special.
It takes a village to make a festival like this happen, and we happen to have one incredible village!
From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for making our 20th Anniversary Harvest Moon Festival one we will never forget!
Here’s to 20 amazing years, the memories we’ve made, and all the memories still to come! 🌙🧡
With gratitude,
The Peculiar Area Chamber of Commerce
