St. James Chamber of Commerce, city of St. James, and St. James Parks & Recreation Department have partnered to host the 2026 Grape & Fall Festival.

“We kind of redefined what the Grape & Fall Festival should be,” said Chamber of Commerce Director Kelly Money.

Under the new structure, the chamber will continue with fundraising and will oversee the Downtown Vendor Fair. 

The City of St. James and Parks & Recreation Department will oversee park-related activities at Nelson Hart Park, including infrastructure, organization and operational support.

“Nelson Hart Park fairgrounds is the city’s property, and there’s been a longtime agreement between the city and chamber (for the festival),” said Money.

According to Money, Kristy Rich, director of St. James Parks and Recreation, wanted to have more oversight on activities happening during the festival at Nelson Hart Park.

“What we want is more community involvement,” said Money. 

The Grape & Fall Festival has taken place in St. James for 92 years and has been spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce. 

The partnership between the city and the chamber will transition into shared leadership.

“The chamber didn’t have a paid employee until 2008; (the festival) was run by a completely volunteer board,” said Money.

Money has been working as the chamber director since 2022.

For 2026, youth and agricultural partners such as Future Farmers of America (FFA)  and 4-H will remain deeply involved, helping share contests, exhibitions and family-friendly programming.

The chamber currently runs a website and Facebook page for the Grape and Fall Festival.

“The chamber can’t keep doing a three-day festival, and that be our only mission,” said Money.

The festival was first celebrated in 1932 to honor the local grape harvest and showcase the community’s first queen pageant (daughters of farmers). Over a few decades, the festival has transformed into a multi-day celebration that highlights local agriculture, youth organizations, small businesses and events throughout town.

The next Grape and Fall Festival is scheduled for Sept. 10-12, 2026, with additional details, including volunteer and event information, to be announced in the coming months.