Image note: The accompanying archival file photo shows a house in McIntosh’s Historic District; it does not depict the Oct. 17, 2026 festival.
By the time the 1890s Festival opened in McIntosh on Oct. 17, the small Florida town had spent months unsure whether its annual fall gathering would return. The longtime organizers had said in January they would step away. A new local committee took on the work, and the festival came back that Saturday.
In an Oct. 18 recap, 352today reported that thousands of people attended, cars filled designated parking areas and nearby roads, and some vendors had sold out by noon. Those are the outlet’s on-the-ground observations, not an audited attendance or sales count. The report nevertheless documented a full day for an event that had been at risk of ending.
The revival began soon after the cancellation announcement. Holger Giese, a local campground manager, called a town hall meeting six days later, WUFT reported. About 60 people agreed to work together, and a town-approved committee was formed. Organizers told WUFT the group had four board members and about 40 volunteers. Barbara Hooper, who said she had attended since her daughter was in a stroller, joined the effort after learning the festival might stop.
The town calendar and festival website listed the 2026 event for Saturday, Oct. 17, with the organizer’s schedule running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival site describes an arts-and-crafts gathering in the historic district with food, music and family activities. Its grounds include Van Ness Park and surrounding streets. McIntosh’s official history says the town grew during the 1890s; the festival’s name looks back to that era. Reports disagree on whether the first festival was in 1973 or 1974, so the exact start year remains unsettled.
The new team needed more than volunteers to keep the event manageable. WUFT reported that Giese and event manager Gretchyn Boshart created a website and digital vendor database. In place of hundreds of handwritten letters, vendors could apply online. Organizers said more than half of roughly 300 expected vendors were new, so the committee was also reworking booth placements as longtime sellers retired or did not return after the pandemic.
One returning seller offered a small example of how the layout could matter. WUFT reported that plant vendor Stan Ferkul’s booth had been moved closer to the street, which he said made it easier to carry his plants. The station’s account was published before the festival, so it describes the committee’s preparations rather than a measured result from the day.
Music was another part of the return. Before the event, organizers told WUFT that five performances were scheduled, including a set by local retro artist Becky Baby. In its recap, 352today named performers including Pasture Prime Bluegrass and the Hollis Dorian Band. The two reports together describe a program that combined familiar festival activities with a new organizing crew.
The committee also planned practical changes behind the scenes. WUFT reported that the new organizers added ATMs and replaced cardboard trash containers with reusable metal bins. Such details rarely define a festival on their own, but they are part of the work volunteers took on while updating how vendors and visitors would navigate the grounds.
Funding for another year is still an open question. Before the event, organizers told WUFT they were seeking sponsors and hoped any profit could support a future festival and local nonprofit groups. Neither that report nor the post-event coverage gave a final revenue figure or confirmed any distribution. Giese told WUFT that earlier proceeds had supported a food bank and emergency utility assistance, but that history does not establish what the new committee raised.
McIntosh’s Oct. 17 festival therefore marked a return, not proof that every operational or financial challenge had been solved. The reports describe a crowd, busy parking, performances and sellers who ran out of goods, alongside a volunteer group still learning how to carry a large annual event. A new website, online vendor records and a rearranged layout gave that group tools to try. The next round of planning will show what can be sustained.
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