Downtown businessman Scott Johnson and friends are reviving the venerable Folkfest parade, which, in recent years, has been combined with the United Tribes Technical College powwow's Parade of Champions.

It comes in the form of "Autumnfest," and will include a gathering of food vendors in the heart of downtown Bismarck. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, with the parade starting at 10 a.m. and taking the usual route from the Capitol down to the Civic Center.

Johnson says there has been a lot of interest in Autumnfest, but there's also some confusion because of the other activities taking place throughout September. He explains that the United Tribes Parade of Champions will still take place on Sept. 9. The Downtowners Association's extremely popular StreetFair is scheduled for Sept. 15-16.

It's the first time Johnson has attempted to put together a parade, having started working on the project earlier in the spring.

"I think it's important to the community, which wants to see the downtown activity and parade return," Johnson said. "People want to come downtown to see the parade and hang out and eat. We're looking for parade entries and for additional food vendors. We do have turkey legs coming."

Entry forms for the parade are available, with the first 150 accepted. The deadline for entry is Aug. 15. The charge for nonprofit and private entries is $10, for commercial units $35 and for political $50. Food vendors are charged $35 for a booth.

The theme of this year's parade is "Nostalgia." Anyone wanting to participate in either the parade or as a food vendor can contact Johnson at (701) 223-2000.

Read the full story in Friday's Bismarck Tribune.