New Town HarvestFest Is Saturday
The 2026 New Town HarvestFest is set to take over the Northern Lights Wellness Center on Saturday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hosted by the New Town Chamber, this year’s festival promises a jam-packed day of family-friendly activities, competitive cooking, local vendors, and a deep celebration of community care and tribal food sovereignty.
Organized by the Neuta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC) Agriculture Department, the New Town City Library, and Reynolds Insurance Agency, HarvestFest brings together the best flavors, sights, and sounds of the season.
At the heart of the festival’s mission is the Harvest Share, a community produce exchange running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sponsored by the NHSC Four Sisters Garden (also known as the Holistic Gardening and Wellness Community,) this initiative focuses on reducing food waste, promoting communal care, and reinforcing tribal food sovereignty.
The guidelines are simple: if you have an abundance of home-grown fruits and vegetables, you are encouraged to bring them in to donate so they don’t go to waste. For attendees, anyone who wants or needs fresh produce is welcome to come and help themselves to the available local assortment for free. For additional information on this program, community members can reach out to Dorothy Ventsch at 701-627-4293.
Food lovers will not want to miss the NHSC Traditional Garden Food Demo and Cook-Off. This is an add-on piece to the event, and it offers a highly competitive edge this year, with a $600 cash stipend provided for each participant entry (limited to 16 total individuals or groups). To secure a spot, cooks must sign up by October 1st at 5 p.m. (a W-9 will be required, with stipends paid via check or ACH by October 12th).
Festival attendees can participate directly by taste-testing the culinary creations and voting for their favorite recipes. The winner will walk away with ultimate bragging rights, determined entirely by the public’s choice.
The annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest is back with Pumpkins, Prizes, and Creative Spaces. To participate, contestants must bring their decorated, but not carved, pumpkins to the Civic Center by 10:30 a.m. on October 3rd. Categories are wide open, welcoming individuals, teams, families, and businesses of all ages.
For the young crowd, the New Town City Library is hosting dedicated pumpkin-making hours leading up to the main event. Children in three age groups (3-4, 5-8, and 9-18 years old) can develop their projects directly at the library. If completed there, pumpkins and painting supplies will be provided completely free of charge. The absolute deadline to wrap up library projects is Thursday, October 1st. For specific details, call Julie at the library at 701-627-4849.
This is the prize lineup of prizes in “New Town Bucks”:
Best of Show (Individual): $25 New Town Bucks (awarded across categories: 2 yr, 3-4 yr, 5-8 yr, 9-12 yr, 12-18 yr, and Adults 19+)
Best of Show (Team): $50 New Town Bucks (awarded to both Kids 2-18 and Adults 19+)
To enter the contest or ask questions, contact Dorothy Ventsch at 701-627-4293 or email riantdorothy@restel.com.
Vendor Show and All-Day Entertainment
The HarvestFest Vendor Show is officially packed! Running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with free admission, all 35 vendor spots are completely spoken for. We can’t wait to see the assortment of products that will be available!
Families will find no shortage of amusement throughout the day. ConocoPhillips and United Quality Co-Op have teamed up to sponsor a lineup of live music and a Fall Photoshoot featuring photographer Tami Johnson of Parshall. Meanwhile, New Town Larsen Drug, Cornerstone Bank, and Chord Energy is sponsoring face painting by local artist Gissel Zarza.
Energy will be high due to the bounce houses and axe throwing, alongside a sweet stop at the interactive Cookie Decorating station, run by Mini Sweets N Treats from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., all proudly sponsored by RTC Networks and Mountrail Williams Electric. If you get hungry, stop by the Reynolds Insurance Agency booth from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for complimentary popcorn, a lively Trivia Game, or a giant game of Connect 4.
Supporting a Community Initiative
If you are able, please bring some extra pocket change to support a good cause. Attendees are heavily encouraged to purchase $5.00 raffle tickets during the festival, with all proceeds benefiting the New Town Childcare Cooperative, an initiative that is working on a solution to address the childcare needs of New Town and surrounding areas.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 3rd, gather your family, and head down to the Northern Lights Wellness Center to celebrate the best of New Town’s community spirit. A huge thanks to North Segment for making the Northern Lights space available for this event.