Fall fever to hit streets of Colfax for fifth annual Hullabaloo

Colfax will burst to life with festivities during the fifth edition of Autumn Harvest Hullabaloo Friday and Saturday. A dash of antiques, pets, poker, Dutch ovens and beer are on the agenda for this year’s festival.

Up and down Main Street, street corners bristle with pumpkins, corn stalks and hay bales, compliments of a corner competition among all the bank staffs in town.

New to the festival this year will be the poker tournament and the Dutch oven contest. The Dutch oven cook-off competition among local entrants will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday at the Codger Pole park.

Festival organizer Elaine McClintock said they wanted to try the cook-off because it could be done in good or bad weather, unlike other events such as a car show.

“It’s kind of fun to switch things out. If you do the same thing every year, it gets mundane,” McClintock said.

Entrants will practice their poker faces and maybe wear dark shades to the Saturday poker tournament of Texas Hold ‘Em, held in the CETC building at 9 a.m.

Buy-in fee is $100 and re-buys are available for the first two hours for the same amount. Plenty of beer will be available for purchase from the kitchen of the CETC building.

Organizer Brandon Johnson said he is planning for a crowd of more than 50 people, with 10 players per table. Of the total fees collected from participants, 75 percent will be paid out to players and 25 percent goes back to the Chamber of Commerce, Johnson said.

“It’s new to me so I’m excited to see how it comes off,” Johnson said.

Colfax Chamber of Commerce, which is hosting Hullabaloo, obtained a gambling license to put on the tournament. Dealers will be local volunteers.

The weather forecast for the two days is looking good, said McClintock, noting this is particularly exciting since weather has been poor for the previous four Hullabaloo festivals. Clear skies and temperatures in the 80s are expected.

The pet parade is marching into its second year, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday on Mill Street. Last year’s parade featured a shetland pony, dogs and cats in cages.

“You don’t have to have pets to be in the pet parade. You can just come in costume,” McClintock said. Entrants dressed up as animals make their own category which will be judged along with the other animal categories.

Striking up the festival Friday are early sales at the craft vendors at the First Baptist Church center. Twenty-two vendors have registered and are expected to be ready for business from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday and 9 to 5 Saturday.

Saturday kicks off with the Fireman’s breakfast at 7 a.m. at the city fire station, followed by the Dutch oven contest at 9 a.m. by the Codger Pole.

The WSU Raptors Club will show live raptors in the Kiddies Court hosted by the Whitman County Library. Activities are scheduled at the court between the library and US Bank from 10:30 to 5 p.m.

Food service vendors and a stage will again be located Saturday in the US Bank lot downtown. Eric’s Dawgs, Toccata Blues and Paradise Creek Brewery are among vendors.

“On TAP,” a five-member group from Spokane will perform from noon to 3 p.m. They feature modern and classic country, some blues and other songs. The Palouse Country Radio Karaoke Contest will follow at 3:30 p.m.

An upstairs tour of downtown buildings will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Perkins House will be open for tours from 1 to 4 p.m.