Island Park Festival returning for third year with over 200 vendors

IDAHO FALLS – The 3rd yearly Island Park Festival is returning this period and is slated to beryllium bigger than ever.

It’s happening July 19 and 20 astatine 4133 Quakie Lane adjacent Sawtelle Mountain Resort and Connie’s Restaurant & Saloon, nan sponsors of nan event.

Event organizer Jean Phillips tells EastIdahoNews.com that play is 1 of nan busiest of nan tourer play and nan intent of nan arena is to showcase Island Park and “bring group together.”

More than 200 vendors crossed nan U.S. will beryllium there, including 1 that sells furnishings made from bears and antlers, arsenic good arsenic a taxidermist displaying his prized animal kills. Smokey nan Bear will make an quality and location will beryllium a unrecorded wood carving, 12 different nutrient trucks and a unrecorded DJ.

Smokey nan Bear astatine past year’s Island Park Festival | Courtesy photo

Raffle prizes, specified arsenic a nighttime enactment astatine Sawtelle Mountain Resort and Black Swan Inn successful Pocatello, will beryllium disposable to win.

Phillips is peculiarly excited astir having a DJ for nan event, which is simply a caller point this year. She says they’ve besides added a shuttling work to get group backmost and distant from nan parking batch to nan festival.

“It’s a nosy family time to shop pinch nosy food,” Phillips says. “Everybody loves it and keeps coming backmost each year.”

Phillips, a Rupert female who precocious retired from a 30-year profession arsenic a wedding and arena planner, felt inspired to big this arena for nan first clip successful 2022 aft seeing a mini group of vendors gathered astatine Connie’s.

Though location were only 3 vendors, location were tons of people, which made it difficult to spot what they were selling.

Phillips is progressive successful readying nan Rupert City Celebration, but she and her hubby person a compartment successful Island Park. She was willing successful hosting a akin arena successful Island Park successful a larger venue.

She learned that Pioneer Day play and Labor Day play were 2 of nan busiest times for tourists. It’s now an yearly arena held connected these weekends.

“The first twelvemonth I thought we’d possibly person 10 vendors. There was 100 that showed up, past 150 nan adjacent year. It’s conscionable grown,” she says.

Phillips grew up attending events for illustration this. Both her parents were vendors for galore years. Her mom was nan president of nan Idaho Craft Association, according to nan festival website.

She precocious sold her ample wedding and arena venue successful Rupert and now enjoys organizing nan Island Park festival.

Phillips is encouraging group to be nan family-friendly event.

“Come for bully food. It’s nan biggest statement successful town!” she says.

On Friday, nan show will spell from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. It’s unfastened from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. connected Saturday.

The 2nd show will hap connected August 30 and 31 astatine nan aforesaid times arsenic nan July event. Both events are free to nan public.