The first Thursday in October has traditionally been a night of celebration in Newton.

Bethel College’s Annual Fall Festival kicks off four days of activities for current students and alumni. The festival includes class reunions, football games and many other events.

Downtown Newton also celebrates with Taste of Newton, a local festival designed to showcase the varied local and ethnic food traditions to be found in and around Newton.

This year, three blocks of downtown were blocked off starting before noon so over 80 vendors could set up outdoor shops on Main Street.

Local churches, boy scout troops, civic groups, school organizations and businesses participated with baked goods, bar-be-cue, desserts and a sea of meal choices.

Some of the night’s offerings were:

• Trinity Heights/Boy Scout Troop 127 with Dutch Oven cobblers in a variety of flavors
• Harvey County Farm Bureau with pork chops & roasted corn
• Bethel College Alumni Association with verenike, pudding cups & caramel apples
• Flip Flop Shop with lasagna, meatballs & garlic bread
• Must Be Nuts with German roasted almonds & pecans
• Caring Hands Humane Society with puppy chow and homemade dog and cat treats

That is only a few of the vendors in one block. Are you hungry yet?

The event is normally scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. It also normally starts early. Neal and I had to be at Financial Peace University class at 7 p.m., so we walked down to Taste of Newton early. We weren’t the first ones there!

The photo above was taken at about 5:30. Later in the evening, it would have been impossible to get a clear shot for half a block, let alone a full block. Neal opted for Brats & Saurkraut from Boy Scout Troop 123, Quivira Council while I had my mouth set for egg rolls, fried rice and sweet & sour chicken from Amy Wong, of the China Inn Restaurant (although I admit that sauerkraut sure smelled good on the walk home!)

One of our downtown landmarks is the old Tudor-style Santa Fe Depot at the corner of Main and Fifth.

Another landmark is the marker that marks the first water well put down during cattle drive days. The old well was right in the center of the intersection of Main & Fifth.

A new fountain has been installed in front of the depot and near that intersection in commemoration of that historic well.

The fountain and its environment has been under construction for about six or eight weeks. Tonight, I noticed it was running so I had to stop and take some pictures.

The setting for the fountain is not yet complete. Lots of bare ground and infant grass just starting to take hold, but the goal is to create a setting that is inviting and beautiful. While I certainly miss the trees that were on this location for many years, I do like the look of this new construction.

Part of the exhibit is this plaque erected at the sidewalk and which tells about the original well and its importance in the life of the residents of the time, as well as local commerce.

The plaque reads:

1871 Water Well Memorial

Santa Fe engineers were surveying and platting the Newton town site on Section 17 in March 1871. Captain David L. Payne, State Legislator from this district, and other early settlers saw the urgent need for domestic drinking water. Captain Payne agreed to supervise the digging of a well in the center of 5th and Main Street intersection.

It was the only domestic drinking water in Newton for several months and considered the best water for several years thereafter.

The small, circular plaque in the center of this intersection marks the location of the historic well.

Courtesy, Harvey County Historical Society.

I have wondered upon occasion what it must have looked like with cattle and cowboys coming into town to meet the trains that took cattle to market; horses and riders gathered around that well; the air choked with dust and filled with the sounds of animals and people and trains. Sounds like an interesting painting, doesn’t it?

Speaking of paintings, there wasn’t much time to paint tonight because it was class night for Financial Peace University, a thirteen-week course from financial advisor, talk show host and author, Dave Ramsey. This is our fourth week into the course and we are learning a lot about handling finances, budgeting (gasp! budgets!), debt-reduction, saving and investing. It has been informative, entertaining and … challenging.

I did also spend part of the afternoon working on the current ACEO colored pencil portrait of Lockkeeper, so be watching for updates on that.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.