T-R FILE PHOTO Watson’s Grocery Store at 106 W. Main St. in State Center will be the site of the upcoming Watson’s Fall Festival this Friday.

STATE CENTER — Watson’s Grocery Store has been an iconic landmark since it was built in 1895. The public is invited to celebrate the store’s history and shop local during the annual Watson’s Fall Festival, which will take place Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in downtown State Center.

“Watson’s will be the star of the night,” said Julie Riley with State Center Development Association Promotions. “There, kids can enjoy caramel apples and there will be Florence Watson’s famous punch, for adults only.”

She added that the festival is scheduled each year for when there is not a home football game.

New this year is the inclusion of a chili cook-off, with entries from the State Center Police Department, Central State Bank and Jacobson Photography/St. Andrew’s Grill & Bar. In order to taste the chili, attendees must bring at least one canned good for the State Center Christian Community Cupboard.

Children will have the chance to paint and decorate a small pumpkin at The Pink Petal. In addition, they can partake in a pumpkin decorating contest in front of Watson’s, underneath the canopy. Decorated pumpkins must be at the judges’ table by 4:30 p.m. There will be a $50 prize awarded to the best pumpkin in two age categories: under 11 (youth) and 12 and older (adult).

A vendor fair, located in the parking lot next to the laundromat, will feature 14 entities all from State Center or the surrounding area. Some of the town’s brick and mortar businesses will also remain open during the festival. The vendors are as follows: Ally’s food truck, Leave No Stone Unturned, Minerva’s Meadow, Appleberry Farm, Back Roads Country, Hearth & Home Cleaning Co., Dusty Hill Farm, Midwest Makers IA, Pilgrim Heights, RGS Prodesigns, Hometown Glow Candle Co., LK’s Custom Creations, Busy Bee Honey and Serene Collective.

Dusty Hill Farm, which is located seven miles northeast of State Center, will offer mums, gourds, pumpkins and some produce.

“It’s just a good time. We get to showcase what we have in the fall. I taught for 41 years so I get to see a lot of my former students (at the event),” said Lynne Pfantz, who co-owns the farm with her husband Larry.

Hannah Scates Kettler owns Minerva’s Meadow, a flower farm in central Iowa that integrates prairie plants to highlight Iowa’s natural habitat and ecology.

“We have outlets other than just cut flowers: linen sprays and essential oils, and fresh and dried herbs with which we create sachets and bundles,” Scates Kettler said. “I’m so glad that the Watson’s Fall Festival is an option for our town. It’s a great way to see and meet people and have fun together. I see it as community building and a social opportunity. I just also happen to have wares people can enjoy. I also like how many people show up to the event. It’s a beautiful range of ages from small children, high schoolers and folks who have been in the community for decades.”

Ally’s will offer hot brisket menu items.

“I live in State Center and I love my little town. If I can, I try to participate,” Allison Vinson said.

Riley noted festival coordinators are working to build up the event to pre-COVID attendance rates.

“Our mission is to promote Main Street and let everybody know about the good community we have. We’re very active, and have restored a lot of buildings. We’ve won a lot of grants from Main Street Iowa. It’s a lot of preservation and getting businesses back in the buildings,” Riley said. “We also coordinate Truck or Treat and Christmas on Main.”

History of Watson’s

William Watson founded Watson’s Grocery Store as a place people could purchase dry goods, including textiles, dishware, canned goods, grains and spices. Watson’s sons, Bill Jr. and Ralph assisted their father in the running of the business. Ralph and his wife Florence purchased the store after William retired in 1933. Watson’s remained a staple store of downtown State Center until 1981 when Florence closed it down. Upon her death in 1989, it was learned she requested her sister and niece tear down the store. The two women hired an auctioneer with plans of selling off the historic items inside Watson’s in the summer of 1989.

“I wanted to see it saved,” John Riemenschneider said in a previous interview with the T-R. “We had a beautiful drug store and other historic buildings here and one by one, they were all sold and gutted.”

A committee was formed to turn the store into a museum. Townspeople, organizations, and businesses pledged enough funds to purchase the building and much of the contents during the auction.

Watson’s Grocery Store opened as a museum a few months later on Oct. 19, 1989. The State Center Historical Society was then established with the goal of preserving the store and other points of interest in the town.

If you’re interested in volunteering during Watson’s Fall Festival, reach out at: www.facebook.com/StateCenterDevelopmentPromotions.