Until 2023, the Harvest Bazaar was something you drove to. It was held at Second Chance on Highway 95 south of Weiser. In fall 2024 it moved into town and filled three blocks of downtown State Street. This year it runs Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
The move did more than change the address. With the Bazaar downtown, its dates sit right against two other events. One is the last Makers' Market of the season on Thursday. The other is the Weiser Mud Drags on Saturday afternoon. Put together, the first weekend of October becomes one three-day run that mostly raises money for local groups, and most of it traces back to the Weiser Chamber of Commerce and its volunteers.
What Changed When the Bazaar Moved Onto State Street
When the Signal American previewed the 2025 Bazaar, it called the event "years-long" and said visitors could expect an even bigger spread of booths than the first downtown year. Organizer Patrick Nauman sounded ready:
"The groundwork is laid. We are rocking and rolling."
That quote is from August 2025. The 2026 materials we found don't name an organizer, so treat Nauman as last year's contact until this year's details are posted.
State Street had hosted fall gatherings before the Bazaar arrived. A 2024 community calendar listed a Celebrate Fall Harvest Bazaar and Chili Cook-Off in front of Weiser Classic Candy at 449 State St., running 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The block already knew how to hold a fall crowd.
For 2026, the Bazaar's own site lists vendor booths, a Friday harvest breakfast, a beer garden, the Mud Drags, a Saturday chili cook-off, a kids' fun zone, and face painting. Listing the Mud Drags on the Bazaar's page is the clearest sign the two are now treated as one weekend. Neither source describes a formal partnership. They just share a Saturday on purpose.
Thursday at City Park Closes a Different Season
The weekend starts a day early, at City Park. This summer, Weiser's long-running Thursday Farmers Market became a Makers' Market. Friends of the Chamber took over organizing it starting July 9. Market hours are 5 to 7 p.m., with food trucks and live music going until 8 p.m. The season was set to run weekly through October 1, so Thursday is the last market of the year.
So Thursday ends the Chamber circle's summer project the evening before its fall weekend starts on State Street.
The Weekend at a Glance
| Day | Time | Where | What | Who it supports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct. 1 | 5–8 p.m. | City Park | Final Makers' Market of 2026 | Organized by Friends of the Chamber |
| Fri, Oct. 2 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Downtown State Street | Harvest Bazaar, harvest breakfast, beer garden | Bazaar vendors and organizers |
| Sat, Oct. 3 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Downtown State Street | Harvest Bazaar, chili cook-off, kids' fun zone | Bazaar vendors and organizers |
| Sat, Oct. 3 | Gate opens noon, $15 | Laird property next to Mortimer's Island | Weiser Mud Drags | Weiser Chamber of Commerce |
| Sat–Sun, Oct. 3–4 | Two-day ride | Starts at the East Main Street Trailhead | OctoberTrek, 85 miles | Friends of Weiser River Trail |
Saturday Puts the Town in Two Places at Once
By Saturday morning, booths line State Street, and before the afternoon is half over, the Weiser River bottom is loud. Mayor Herb Haun wrote in his September 23 column that this year's Mud Drags will be on the Laird property next to Mortimer's Island, down by the Weiser River. Gate tickets are $15 starting at noon, and proceeds go to the Weiser Chamber of Commerce.
That $15 gate price compares to $10 general admission in 2023. That year also had free entry for children six and under and $20 pit passes. This year's age and pit-pass pricing hasn't been published.
If you've never gone, know that a mud drag isn't a mud bog. When the Signal American covered the event in 2021, it explained the format. Two vehicles race side by side in two muddy lanes, and the fastest time wins. In a bog, the winner is whoever gets farthest. A run is over in seconds, and the paper said the engines "could be heard miles away" that October.
The event has lasted. It was the 19th annual Mud Drags in 2023 and was billed as the 20th in 2024. After the 2024 race, co-organizer Laurel Adams, who has been part of the event since it began, told the Signal American there were "LOTS of spectators." The 2023 class list shows how wide the field was. It had Street Legal, Mud Mod, Powder Puff, Powder Puff Pro, Pro Mud, Super Stock, Pro Stock, ATV-UTV, Diesel, and High School classes, and each one cost $50 to enter.
Saturday morning also has a third event. Friends of Weiser River Trail's OctoberTrek, a supported two-day, 85-mile ride, starts from the trail's East Main Street Trailhead on October 3 and wraps up October 4. Registration is closed because the ride hit its rider limit or its September 20 deadline, but the ride is still on. If you're out early, you may see riders heading north up the corridor while vendors are still setting up downtown.
What Hasn't Been Posted Yet
As of September 30, several details people usually ask about are still missing from the public 2026 listings. Here's what last year's pattern looked like, so you have a starting point. Please confirm before you plan around it.
- Breakfast. In 2025 the Bazaar advertised a Huckleberry Pancake Breakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m. This year's site only says "Harvest Breakfast — Friday," with no time, location, or host.
- Chili cook-off. The 2025 cook-off was at 11 a.m. Saturday. Rules, judging, and prizes for 2026 haven't been posted.
- Mud Drags rules. The no-outside-coolers rule, the kids' Dash for Cash, and the adult Dirty Dash all come from the 2023 instructions. The 2026 class list and entry fees aren't out yet.
- Running a booth. The vendor application says vendors bring their own booth and equipment, there's no booth power, and accepted vendor fees can't be refunded. If you're planning on a slow cooker or a card reader, bring a battery.
Where the Weekend's Money Lands
Mayor Haun's column connected the Mud Drags to something bigger than one Saturday. He asked readers to support the local businesses that help pay for community events "from the Fourth of July barbecue to the upcoming Mud Drags, fireworks, Little League sports." The gate money from the Mud Drags goes to the Chamber, and the businesses that help pay for events like it are the ones he asked readers to support.
The Chamber's October keeps going after the mud dries. The rest of the month on its calendar:
- October 5, noon. Ribbon-cutting for Family Services Treatment. The listing gives no venue.
- October 5, 6 p.m. The 29th Annual ROSE Advocates Benefit Dinner.
- October 9. "Candy Tower" STEM program at Weiser Public Library. Ages 3 to 5 meet at 10:30 a.m., and kindergarten through fifth grade meet from 11 a.m. to noon.
- October 10. The Annual Walk/Run is on the Chamber calendar. The same day, the River & Rails Donkey Dash runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Cambridge, with 3-, 6-, and 9-mile courses on the Weiser River Trail.
- October 19, 6 p.m. The Chamber's 2026 Community Awards Banquet at the Vendome Events Center. Doors open at 5:30, and nominations close October 5 at 11:59 p.m.
- October 20, noon. Chamber luncheon.
- October 23–24. The Haunting History of Weiser. No organizer, venue, or format has been posted yet.
- October 31, 3–5 p.m. Safe Trick or Treating.
If you're nominating someone for the awards banquet, the October 5 deadline comes just two days after the Mud Drags.
Our family has watched Weiser fill up for weekends like this one for three generations, and we'll be on State Street and down by the river with everyone else. If you ever want to talk about land along the Weiser River, the town around it, or which properties have room for a pickup with a mud tire or two, Malia Bumgarner and the team at Creed Noah Real Estate Company are always glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
