Thousands attend the Bell Tower Festival in Jefferson

JEFFERSON, Iowa- Greene County residents celebrated the 24th annual Bell Tower Festival in Jefferson’s downtown square.

The popular carnival kicked off on Thursday evening and ended around midnight on Saturday.

The small town attracts around 5,000 people during the event, which is more than the number of people who live there.

The biggest part of the three day festival is the Parade on Saturday. Residents gathered in the downtown square to watch first responders, local businesses, and community members pass by in floats. Many distributed candy to the children on the sidelines.

“I haven’t seen so much candy in years. It was a lot of fun, a lot of cute floats. It was a nice day,” said Pam Plotner of West Des Moines.

Like Pam, several people traveled from all over Iowa to what Jefferson calls the “best small town festival in Iowa.”

Matt Wetrich is the president of Jefferson Matters and a part of the City Council. He said, “The blue lips from all the shaved ice, the ice cream messes, that’s how we would grade. We give those families an A+ for immersing themselves in the carnival… It’s fun, it really feels great. As a father myself, I love seeing the kids come out and families being able to do stuff and try to do as much of this for free.”

Wetrich said a group of 25 volunteers spend a year planning the festival. They had food trucks, live music, fair rides, and so much more for visitors to enjoy.

Planning for next year’s Bell Tower Festival starts on Sunday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com.