Thank you to “team Aaron” for the 2026 Fall Festival food booth tasting. From left to right:
Our I.T. Director, Nolan. Director of First Impressions, Temple. Myself. And General Manager, Tim.
Any missing booth numbers were either vacant spaces, or booths that were not open at the time of our review.
Booth 37: Mt. Pleasant Church
Turkey Kabob. Tender turkey and grilled veggies on a skewer. Well marinated with bold flavors. A different type of “food on a stick” for Franklin Street.
Booth 38: U.S.I. C.L.A. Student Clubs
Kimchi Hot Dog. This is a new item for this booth. Something truly different for Fall Festival food. Great spice with a quality hot dog, and you can’t miss topping it with Stadium mustard.
Booth 39:
West Side Kiwanis
Hot Honey Bun. This dessert item is a fun twist on the childhood “Honeybun” treat. Sweet, warm, with whipped topping and chocolate drizzle.
Booth 40:
Riverbend Association
French Dip Sandwich. One of the heartiest offerings we tasted. Thin sliced beef, served with a savory au jus. If you are in the mood for something to stick to your ribs, this is a good choice.
Booth 41: Evansville African American Museum
Donut Cheeseburger. The donut burger is a Fall Festival staple. This booth uses a Schnucks donut as the bun for this burger. If a donut burger is on your “must get” list, stop by this booth and grab one.
Booth 42:
Armstrong Rec. Center
Carrot Cake Cream Pie. Think an oatmeal cream pie, but with carrot cake instead. This homemade treat has a perfect cake-to-icing ratio, and will satisfy your sweet tooth, especially if you are a carrot cake fan.
Booth 43: Corpus Christi Chuckwagon
Sausage burger. One of the most iconic booths on Franklin every year, the Chuckwagon’s sausage burgers are a Fall Festival tradition. A great, savory sausage patty, that every member of our team really enjoyed.
Booth 44:
New Tech High School. The “wurst” donut. If we gave out an award for the most clever name of an item, this would win it. The name comes from the fact that it’s a Donut Bank maple long john, with a breakfast sausage in the middle, and sprinkled with Grippos on top. This item received the very rare 5 stars from every member of the team.
Booth 45: Boy Scout Troop 374
Scout’s Chili. First and foremost, we believe the Boy Scouts offering chili as their signature item is a perfect fit. A well seasoned chili, served piping hot, with a Cincinnati chili flavor profile. A hearty bowl to walk Franklin with.
Booth 46: Evansville Lutheran Church
Pronto pup. It took us this long to finally get to maybe the single most iconic Fall Festival food, the pronto pup. A great dog from Old Fashioned Butcher Shoppe, flavorful and crispy batter. Exactly what you want from a pronto pup at the festival.
Booth 47: Evansville Racing Pigeon Club
Rib Cup. Every once in a while you come across a new item on Franklin that catches your eye before you even taste it, and that is certainly the case with the rib cup. A fall-off-the-bone smoked rib, served in a cup of mashed potatoes and baked beans. 5 stars from each member of our team.
Booth 48: Salem Heusler United Church of Christ
Strawberry Crunch Sundae. A refreshing treat to stroll Franklin with. Fresh strawberries over vanilla ice cream, on top of a bed of crunchy pretzel pieces. A unique combination of creamy ice cream, sweet fruit, and a salty crunch. Also, I got some on my apron.
Booth 49: Vanderburgh County GOP
Dole Whip. A light and delicious cool treat. This will be the perfect item after a hot afternoon of walking up and down the Fall Festival. This item is also dairy free, so if you are looking for something similar to ice cream, but without the dairy, this one is for you.
Booth 50: New Life Rescue
Brisket Sandwich. Tender brisket, well flavored, on a bun. There are many booths to get pulled pork from, however not many that offer smoked brisket. So if you prefer your bbq to be beef instead of pork, this is a good spot for you.
Booth 51: Wesleyan Church
Peanut Butter Puppy Chow. Is there a better snack to walk the festival with than puppy chow? If you’re not in the mood for a full mean, and you want something you can munch on as you go, this puppy chow does the trick. Crispy, peanut buttery, and yummy.
Booth 52: Harrison Instrumental Music
Cheeseburger Egg Roll. Part of the fun of doing food tasting every year is getting to try unique things that you never knew existed. It’s exactly what it sounds like, every element of a cheeseburger, but in the form of an egg roll. Their tag line is “you don’t have to go to Disney to get one, they’re right here on Franklin Street.”
Booth 53: Simpson U.M.C.
Loaded Taco Tots. There are multiple options to top your tots with at this booth. We chose the taco tots. Everyone’s had a walking taco, but this is a fun twist having it over tater tots instead. We had ours topped with queso, which gave an extra flavor burst to it.
Booth 54: TTT Christian Youth
Corn dog. The eternal Fall Festival argument. Corn dog or pronto pup? Well if you prefer your hot dog in corn dog form, this booth has you covered. A savory and filling street food staple, deep friend and (of course) on a stick!
Booth 55: Salem United Methodist Church and Scouts 335
Pulled Pork Parfait. You can’t go wrong with mashed potatoes, pulled pork, and cheese, drizzled with tangy barbeque sauce. The flavor combination is always a winner, and a belly filler. This item was a hit with every member of the team.
Booth 56: West Side Catholic Schools
The Jackwagon. This was the only beverage we sampled, and of course named after our buddy Jeff Lyons! A smooth and refreshing iced coffee. This one came at the perfect time for our team, as we were all a bit hot from the sun, and this was a great chill down.
Both 57: West Side Catholic Schools St. Boniface
Pronto Pup. One of the best parts of the Fall Festival is that no matter where you are at on Franklin Street, you are never too far from a booth with pronto pups. It’s a classic pup, with sweet batter surrounding a savory hot dog. Does anyone really know how it got its name?
Booth 58: Reitz Instrumental Music
Famous French Waffle. An international flare on Evansville’s West Side. This light and flaky dessert never fails to satisfy your sweet tooth. A crispy pinwheel dusted with powdered sugar, you can buy them individually or by the bag.
Booth 61: U.S.I. Lambda Chi Alpha
Philly Cheese Steak. As one of our team members stated “this is the best cheese steak I’ve had in Evansville.” This authentic Philadelphia classic feels right at home on Franklin Street. Simple ingredients, done right. High marks from our team.
Booth 62: Cleaves Memorial Church
Chess pie. With all the food you can get in a cup, or on a stick at the Fall Festival, it’s a nice switch up to have a traditional piece of pie. Chess pie! Smooth and creamy, and tastes like home.
Booth 63: Memorial
The Holy Stromboli. Great Italian flavor on this Evansville food staple. Their tagline is “they only sell one item, because they’ve perfected it.” If stromboli is your jam, it’s hard to beat this one.
Booth 65: Reitz Varsity Scholarship Club
The Scholarship Slider. This is a fun item with flavorful pulled pork, Grippos, pickles, and bbq sauce on a slider bun. The whole team enjoyed this flavor combination.
Booth 66: North Woods Church / Redeemer Fellowship
Roasted Nuts. Roasted cashews and pecans are new items for this booth this year. If you don’t want a full mean, and you just need something to satisfy your craving while you walk up and down Franklin, these are a great choice.
Booth 67: St. Peters On The Hill
Fried Butter. I bet you read that name and thought “what?” Because that was our first reaction. It’s no secret there are lots of fried foods at the Fall Festival, but fried butter was a new one for us, and it didn’t disappoint. This dessert got high marks from the entire team. It looks like a cream puff, but it tastes like butter.
Booth 68: North High Band Boosters
Oreo Funnel Cake. Surprisingly this was our only funnel cake sampling of the day. And it’s not just any funnel cake, it’s topped with crushed Oreo cookies and icing. It’s a fun twist on this carnival favorite. Their booth motto is “funnel cake capitol of Franklin Street.”
Booth 69: S.A.E. / Chemo Buddies
Westsider Haystack. This might be the heartiest item we sampled, and it was delicious. Pulled pork, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and of course, Grippos. All inside a convenient bag to walk down the street with. The portion size on this one impressed us as well.
Booth 70: Delta Zeta
Fried Pickle Spears. Since it’s a vegetable, it’s gotta be healthy, right? These deep fried spears are served with a side of ranch for dipping. The crispy fried breading is well done.
Comments