After seemingly everything came to a screeching halt in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down businesses, sports and even community events like the Clinton County Fair and the Foothills Festival, life is beginning to look a little more like normal as we near the end of 2021.

To that end, Clinton County’s beloved fall gathering, the Foothills Festival, is back on again for 2021.

With a main weekend lineup of events, music and competitions in store just over a week away, the 41st Foothills Festival is finally here after a 24 month long wait.

Following the 2020 fall festival being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foothills Festival Planning Committee has been working double-time, so to speak, to put together the lineup for its now long-anticipated return.

Likewise, without a Foothills Festival in 2020, the Clinton County News was unable to present its traditional Foothills Festival Preview last year and look back at highlights from the prior event.

In 2021, it’s back too, and like the Foothills Festival itself and the long standing tradition, it’s bigger and better than ever.

Included in this week’s Clinton County News, is our annual special Foothills Festival preview section for your enjoyment, complete with articles and schedules about what to expect in this year’s Foothills lineup, as well as several photos from the most recent Foothills Festival in 2019 for your enjoyment.

Like past years, this weekend will also see a couple of early Foothills Festival events in the form of “pre-weekend” lineups,.

The annual Foothills Festival Baby Show will be held this Saturday morning, at the Learning Center, follwed by the annual Foothills Beauty Pageants on Saturday night, again at the Clinton County Learning Center.

So, get rested up, and get prepared to once again come together in Albany to have the time of your life.

Our Foothills Festival returns and for the 41st time, Albany and Clinton County sends out the invitation to the rest of the world to . . .

“Come See It Our Way!”