One of Rio Vista’s oldest celebrations takes place on Saturday, October 10, when the First Congregational Church of Rio Vista holds its 155th Harvest Festival. The festival includes a lamb barbeque, as well as homemade candy and bake sales. The festival runs 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
Almost as old as the town itself, the First Congregational Church began organizing in 1867. By 1869, a church building had been constructed for a congregation of 100 people. In May 1870, the church ladies held a benefit, which they called a Fair. This event morphed into what became known as the Harvest Festival in 1873. For many years the Festival was two-day event. Horses brought the farm community in assorted wagons and buggies to share baked “goodies.”
The centerpiece of the Harvest Festival has been the lamb barbeque. Many of the Congregational Church’s original families raised sheep in the Montezuma Hills that surround Rio Vista. The barbeque still uses local lamb, produced by the Emigh family – one of the charter families of the church. Since the 1960s, members of the Rio Vista Fire Department have been the main cooks of the meal, which also includes beans, salad, and a chicken option instead of lamb.
Over the years the Harvest Festival has included craft and white elephant booths, kid games, and musical programs. However, the one booth has become almost synonymous with the Harvest Festival. That is the homemade candy booth. For many Rio Vistans, the candy is the first thing they associate with the Harvest Festival. Candy making starts in the church kitchen the week before the Festival. The candy makers use recipes that have been passed down through the generations. Many of the recipes came from the kitchen of church member Ethel Halloran. Besides running a successful local business, Ethel was noted for her candy making skills. Ethel not only provided recipes, she trained Congregational Church women how to properly make candy. These skills continue to be passed down. Josie Preston, one of the current candy makers, learned from her mother Dee Dee, who learned from her mother Margaret Walton. Some of the candy being sold is divinity, toffee, and peanut brittle.
This years Harvest Festival will be held in the First Congregational Church courtyard. The address is 230 Sacramento Street, across from the post office. A drive thru is available for take out meals. Tickets can be purchased at
