Carnival returns to Heritage Festival

By Jessica Wettig

The Second Annual Johnson County Heritage Festival is set for Sept. 27-29 at Vienna City Park.

The event is sponsored by the Johnson County Elks.

Robin Harper-Whitehead, of the Elks, said she is in charge of the parade on Saturday and Melissa Hill, also of the Elks, said she is managing the rest of the events.

The agenda includes food and craft vendors, and carnival rides—something they didn’t have last year. There will also be tractor show and a petting zoo.

Tickets for the carnival are sold in sessions: Thursday from 5-10 p.m., Friday from 5-10 p.m., Saturday from 11-5 p.m. and Saturday from 5-11 p.m. The Heritage Parade will take place Saturday from 10-noon.

“There’s always been a festival in Vienna,” said Harper-Whitehead.

She said the Heritage Festival was held from 1990-2000 by a group of 12 individuals. She said the work that it takes to put into the event was overwhelming, so the group stopped putting it on.

The Johnson County Chamber of Commerce took over the event, and renamed it Fall Festival through 2016. The Elks took it over last year, renaming it back to Heritage Festival.

However, Vienna has never skipped a year in hosting some kind of festival.

Harper-Whitehead and Hill are seeking volunteers to help with the event. For information about becoming a vendor, contact Hill at 618-771-7124. For information on the parade, contact Harper-Whitehead at 618-967-9528.