Harvest Homecoming vendors raise funds for families of shooting victims

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WAVE) – Vendors returned to downtown New Albany Sunday morning to pack early after Harvest Homecoming canceled its final day following a deadly shooting outside the festival Saturday night.

Some vendors who still have food to sell are now using their businesses to raise money for the victims’ families.

On Sunday afternoon, Island Noodles held a pop-up event in front of Jack’s in New Albany, with all proceeds going to the family of 18-year-old Bryce Gerlach.

Gerlach, a senior at Corydon Central High School, was killed in the shooting. A 22-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman were injured.

“We woke up this morning and were kind of ready to travel, but also understanding what happened last night,” Lindsay Johnson said. “We have the people, we have the food, we have the ability to do it. So if you have the means to help people, that’s what we’re all about.”

Vendors who were at the festival at the time of the shooting say they are still in shock.

Ginny Weigleb and Marie Diehl run the nonprofit thrift store The Mustard Seed, which benefits organizations that support survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

They were packing up for the night when the shooting began.

“We heard a few bangs and then a few more bangs and knew pretty quickly it was gunfire,” Weigleb said.

As parents, they say when they learned it was a local high school student who had been senselessly killed in the shooting near their home.

“I can’t imagine that,” said Diehl. “I can’t imagine that. This mother or father sent their child to Harvest thinking they would come home later that night, but they didn’t.”

New Albany-based Rookies Cookies and Cakes said it will sell leftover cookies from the festival on Tuesday, with a portion of the proceeds also going to the victims’ families. They are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at their location at 310 Pearl Street.

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