More than 70 vendors, a parade, food and live music are part of Fountain City’s Levi Coffin Days Festival on Saturday, Sept. 20, and Sunday, Sept. 21.
Organizers say this year’s event mixes entertainment, history and small-town charm with activities for all ages.
The festival runs from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.
Fountain City Lions Club sponsors the festival, while Fountain City Forward organizes the parade.
The parade will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, traveling down U.S. 27 with the theme “Where History Meets Heart.”
More than 25 entries are already registered, including a surprise entertainer to fascinate children of all ages. The entertainer will appear in the parade and continue roaming the festival grounds afterward.
This year’s parade grand marshal is John B. Martin II, a lifelong Fountain City resident.
A 1958 graduate of Fountain City High School and a U.S. Air Force veteran, Martin has spent his life farming, working for Richmond Community Schools and assisting local nonprofits.
Earlier this year, he stepped down after 17 years as president of Friends of Morrisson-Reeves Library but remains on the board. Festival organizers say Martin’s leadership, service and example reflect the town’s heart.
Saturday’s entertainers include Andrew T Duo from 9-11 a.m., Scott Ross from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and Fire and Ice from 3-6 p.m.
Food is another key attraction, including traditional Lions pork chop and ribeye steak sandwiches and firefighters’ homemade ice cream, but many drinks, treats and meals are available.
Additional activities include browsing booths from artisans, crafters and vendors, chalk art, the kids’ sawdust dig for cash, and tours of the Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site. The festival is named in honor of Levi Coffin, called the president of the Underground Railroad.
More information about tours is available at wwn.to/lcd25 or 765-847-1691.
Reporter Millicent Martin Emery is president of Friends of Morrisson-Reeves Library.
Hometown items for sale
At its booth, Fountain City Forward will offer T-shirts and its Old Newport Recipes cookbook, which contains family recipes and historical information. Kids at Heart Publishing in Cambridge City facilitated printing. For more information, visit fountaincityforward.org.
A version of this article appeared in the September 17 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.