Happy Fall Festival 2026! We hit Franklin Street right as the booths opened to taste and give you our reviews, so you can make your way to your favorites and maybe even discover some new delicious treats at the 105th West Side Nut Club Fall Festival. My tasting team was from left….Pete Olson (who eats everything….God love him!), Crystal VanDiver, my everything pop culture AND the photographer and my sister Louise, who was my note taker again this year. What a team and my undying thanks to them all! Now, let’s get on with the tasting.
Booth 71 (Evansville Latin Center) (The “Happy Churro” Booth)
This is a new booth, and definitely one worth visiting! They were wonderful and their specialty is their churros….absolutely delicious! Plus, they have fruit refreshers that are killer! Mango, pineapple and strawberry. Don’t miss this great addition to Franklin Street!
Booth 72: (Tau Kappa Epsilon-a.k.a. “The Tekes”) (World-Famous Strombolis)
What can we say….didn’t disappoint and a Franklin Street legend!
Booth 75: (Vanderburgh Humane Society) (Fried Green Tomatoes, Green Beans and Mac ‘n Cheese)
This booth is another Franklin Street tradition and as usual, everything was hot and fresh. I get fried green tomatoes every year and especially this year with their special “secret spice” rub!
Booth 76: Highland Baseball (West Side German Bologna Sandwich)
This is thick-cut German Bologna, fried egg, any cheese you want and crushed Grippos. It was delicious!
Booth 77: Thrive Dance Studio (New Item: Walking Taco)
We had it with Doritos and it was delicious! They are very generous with their portions; very tasty meat, lots of Doritos, salsa and sour cream. A tasty treat, for sure!
Booth 78: SWIRCA (World-Famous Cobbler)
This is another Franklin Street tradition! They only sell cobbler, made fresh daily at SWIRCA and it’s spectacular. We tried the blackberry, but they also have peach and apple. Either with or without ice cream, you can’t go wrong!
Booth 79: (St. Paul’s Lutheran Youth) (Brownie Bites) (New Item)
These brownie bites were frozen and covered with dark chocolate or they come in peanut butter as well. We went for the chocolate and it was “a Ding Dong on steroids!” Delicious!
Booth 80: West Side Improvement Association (West Side Sammie)
German Bologna, pepper jack cheese, pickles, onion with hash browns as the bun. Hash browns were crispy and everything worked very well together. Definitely worth a visit!
Booth 81: Special Olympics (Nacho Pickle) New Item
A huge dill pickle with crushed Grippos and drizzled with ranch sauce. If you like dill pickles, this one is for you! It was very tasty!
Booth 82: Vanderburgh County Young Democrats (Gyros)
This is another Franklin Street favorite and judging by the huge line, we can see why! Delicious….perfectly season meat on fluffy pita bread. Gets our vote.
Booth 84: Reitz Football and Wrestling (West Sider Funnel Cake)
A HUGE funnel cake fresh out of the fryer with crushed Grippos, hot honey (infused w/chili peppers) and powdered sugar for balance. According to Crystal: “It’s got heat, it’s sweet and a great treat to eat!”
Booth 85: Christ Gospel Church (Chocolate Covered Grapes) New Item
This is a new item for this booth that has been around for 40 years! They also serve their famous Apple Dumpling. Franklin Street staples!
Booth 86: Chandler United Methodist Church (Beignets)
The batter comes from Cafe DuMonde in New Orleans and these are the real deal! You can get them with a chocolate or caramel side for dipping, but we tasted the original…..didn’t need a thing!
Booth 87: The Gathering Church (Pecan Pie)
Our Kentucky girl, Crystal loved this pie as did we all! Her quote: “Almost as good as Mama’s from Kentucky!” High praise, indeed!
Booth 88: St. Wendel Church (Moon Drop Sweet Frozen Grapes)
Absolutely fresh and delicious. So sweet and juicy and an absolute delight to cleanse the palate! Go get you some!
Booth 89: Church of Jesus Christ Youth Programs (Monster Ear)
Fried dough dipped in cinnamon syrup and fried in peanut oil for a great flavor! A Franklin Street staple and make sure you have lots of napkins for this delicious treat!
Booth 90: Mater Dei Marching Wildcats (“The Champ”)
The Champ is a Jumbo Tenderloin, along with Mozzarella sticks, Jalapeno poppers and a chicken strip…..all for 10 bucks! We decided to just try the Jalapeno poppers and they were excellent!
Booth 91: Bosse Instrumental Boosters (Caribbean Jerk Chicken)
Holy Bob Marley, Batman! This was authentic Jamaican Jerk sauce on this delicious chicken! Spicy and a great kick! Also have mac and cheese to help with the heat! Delicious!
Booth 92: St. Phillip Catholic Church (West Side Burgoo Dog)
All beef hot dog, served with sauerkraut, Grippos and covered in the famous St. Phillip Burgoo. Nuff said!
Booth 93: Corpus Christi School Boosters (AZZIP March Crabness Dip)
This is served with fresh wontons for dipping and a sweet chili sauce. As Pete and Crystal said, “it’s like a warm, fuzzy sweater!” We ate the whole thing!
Booth 94: AmVets (Ribeye Sandwich)
Another Fall Festival staple with a HUGE lunch time crowd waiting to get their favorite Ribeye sandwich on the street!
Booth 95: Golfmoor Baseball (Walk-Off Chop(
This pork chop is a multiple “Best of the Fest” winner and with good reason! An amazing and tender pork chop, breaded, deep friend and usually served on a stick!
Booth 96: Warrick County Clowns (Frozen Hot Chocolate) New Item
This was wonderful! It’s cold and refreshing, but doesn’t taste like a milk shake. It actually tastes like hot chocolate! Definitely worth trying!
Booth 97: Greater Evansville Figure Skating Club (Deep Fried S’Mores and Oreos)
Delicious! The oil was hot enough, so both were fried to perfection. An ooey, gooey dessert delight!
Booth 98: All-Saints Parish (Street Tacos)
They also serve authentic Mexican Street Corn, but these street Tacos are killer! Absolutely fresh! Served with a hot strawberry or hot lime salsa. Whoo hoo!
Booth 100: St. Peter’s Highland (Frozen Sour Grapes) (New Item)
These were really interesting…..a sour coating and then you get the sweet from the grapes! Very tasty! They also have their world-famous Kuchens, which is the absolute staple item. Worth visiting!
Booth 101: Word of His Grace (Mickey Mouse)
It’s Deep Fried Oreos and a Deep Fried S’more shaped liked Mickey Mouse…..a whimsical take on two Franklin Street classics and definitely done right!
Booth 102: Old North Methodist Church (Catfish Fiddler Sandwich)
This is one of Diane’s favorite sandwiches on the street! A really flaky and flavorful catfish fiddler, breaded and fried to perfection! She actually goes and gets one each year on Saturday before calling the Parade!
Well, there you have it……another tasting odyssey in the books for this year’s Fall Festival. We hope you enjoy this blog and that it helps you find your favorites and maybe try a few new things. Happy Eating!
Old North has these catfish fillet sandwiches on Fridays during lent. I also love them and make a trip to North Park where they park their booth in the parking lot near Schnuck’s they serve at lunch time and supper time. Thank you for these blogs, I read them and write a list of booths to visit. Mary Harl