Revival of Gaslight Festival draws thousands to historic West Eighth Street

Aug. 27—ANDERSON — During the short parade down West Eighth Street at the Anderson Gaslight Festival, Darla Sallee admitted to blinking back a few tears.

Sallee, the executive director of the Anderson Symphony Orchestra, led a committee of volunteers and residents of the historic West Eighth Street neighborhood which spent 10 months planning and organizing the festival's revival. The process, she said, brought back memories of her childhood, when she attended the event annually with her mother.

"I've always loved this festival, and I think that's part of what created that desire in me to be a part of these kinds of things," Sallee said shortly before the parade stepped off Saturday morning.

A few blocks away, volunteers helped vintage car owners register for the festival's classic car and hot rod show. More than 65 entries drew attention from people who strolled along West Eighth Street and chatted with their owners, who occasionally paused to polish chrome and buff paint on their prized possessions.

"It means a lot," said Tim Bailey as he stood near his 1924 Model T Ford. Bailey, who owns a small engine repair shop in the neighborhood, said the festival's return has been anticipated among the area's residents for several years.

From 1973 to 2004, the Gaslight Festival was among the biggest in Madison County. Conceived as a fundraiser to cover the purchase of more than 100 Newport-style gaslights which were installed from Jackson to Henry streets, the first festival was held on Easter Sunday in 1973.

Organizers began planning to bring the festival back in the late 2010s, but the COVID-19 pandemic extended its hiatus for a few more years. Saturday's daylong event, Sallee said, was intended to recall the festival's heyday, when the neighborhood's Victorian heritage — including the distinctive architecture of its homes — took center stage.

"I see Eighth Street and the downtown area as the nexus of where community takes place," Sallee said. "It's where the arts happen, where ideas are exchanged, where connections are made. The opportunity to bring that back was really intriguing to me."

Those who attended could sign up for tours of some of the neighborhood's historic homes. Other events included a pie baking contest, a kids fun zone, carriage rides, food trucks and a beer and wine garden.

One of the parade's grand marshals was Milt Otto, who moved to West Eighth Street in 1972 and whose family helped organize the first Gaslight Festival the following year. Saturday's festival also marked the 50th anniversary of that event.

"It's a real trip down memory lane," Otto said. "It's just amazing to see this resurrected, and these energetic young people on the street now doing this for the community."

Longtime residents weren't the only ones with a sense of appreciation for the neighborhood's identity. Event organizers included some relative newcomers to the neighborhood, several of whom quickly gained a sense of what makes it unique.

"I just love everybody on this street," said Shelly Bond, who has lived at the corner of West Eighth Street and Madison Avenue for seven years. "They were very welcoming when I first moved in. I got to know everybody very quickly."

Bond said although she's not an Anderson native, after joining the festival's planning committee, she became familiar with its meaning to many longtime residents.

"It was just such a big festival years ago that everybody remembers it as a kid," Bond said. "Bringing something back that hasn't happened in a long time, since really the demise of Anderson when (General Motors) left and everything, everybody is just so excited about bringing something back that used to be here."

Sallee said discussions have already taken place looking forward to next year's Gaslight Festival, which is scheduled for Aug. 24, 2024.

"We are super excited," she said. "We've already been talking about next year and planning for next year."

Follow Andy Knight on Twitter @Andrew_J_Knight, or call 765-640-4809.