Upcoming Fall Festivals

There are some fun small town fall festivals coming up in the next few weeks.  These are like little county fairs without the animals and rides.  Head up Route 57 into the picturesque town of Granville over the Columbus Day weekend and in addition to the historic homes of this National Register of Historic Places, you will encounter a wide variety of craft and food vendors over this three day Granville Harvest Fair event.  Begin the day by parking at the village school where items are displayed both inside and outside.  After visiting there you can either walk to the next grouping of vendors or you can take the free school bus that will shuttle you to the next location which is the Town Greens near the library and the historic Granville Country Store.  If you choose to walk, the short pleasant walk to the next area will bring you by additional vendors and tag sales.  The greens area is where most of the food vendors are located as well as the historic Granville Country Store which offers a variety of food items for sale including their famous cheeses.

Inside Tip  If you are a reader you might want to plan to get there early on Monday and head for the library for their book sale.  The first time I went to this event, I bought a grocery bag full of books for $2.00.  I could probably have fit few more books into my bag but wasn't sure I could fit any more onto my scooter.  I think I ended up with about 20 books.

If you are a foodie, you will probably spend a lot of time in this area checking out all the choices.  Did I mention apple pie?  Don't forget to check the nearby church which always features reasonably priced home cooking.  Before you leave the Granville Harvest Fair, drive up to the top of the hill in the village to see more of the historic homes and to check out the two apple orchards.  The bag of Macouns that I took home last year were at the stage of perfection.  Some of the sweetest and juciest apples I have ever eaten and probably the freshest too.

The  Ashfield Fall Festival will compete for your attention during this same weekend.  Their website says, "The 2013 Ashfield Fall Festival (Ashfield, Massachusetts) will take place up and down Ashfield’s Main Street on October 12-13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days – rain or shine. The annual festival offers craft and art exhibits by more than 50 exhibitors, locally-grown and prepared foods, live music and dance, face-painting and other children’s activities, and book and tag sales. Admission is free. Parking is available in lots east of the town center on Route 116 (attendants collect donations for the Ashfield Citizens’ Scholarship Fund).  The festival also hosts the Ashfield Agriculture Commission’s annual Giant Pumpkin and Tallest Sunflower contest."

 There is a lot of community spirit at this event and a lot of good food.  The Historical Society is usually open for tours as are some of the town's churches which are historical in their own right. Many of the food booths are local organizations such as the Boy Scouts and the Fire Department.  Nan Parati, owner of Elmer's Store and local entrepreneur will be be offering New Orleans inspired food such as BBQ ribs, pulled pork, and crawfish pasta.  While there, check out their breakfast menu and make plans to come back for that as well as consider coming back for one of their evening in-store concerts and dinner.  I believe the next concert is October 26.

Inside Tip  Part of Ashfield's events includes a huge tag sale which is ongoing throughout the festival.  Last year towards the end of the last day I went over to check it out and was surprised to hear the announcement, "Everything is free."  Apparently at the end of the day everything is either given away or destroyed.  I saw the tables being quickly emptied into boxes which were thrown into the back of trash trucks and crushed.  If you can get to the stuff before they trash it, it is yours, free.

The foliage season is coming!  While recently on a scooter ride on Route 57 through Granville, coming out on Route 8, then up Route 20 through Lee to Pittsfield, I saw the colors starting to show up in a few places.  Not a lot, but enough to let you know that it won't be too long.  By the time of these two fall festivals, the colors should be pretty good so enjoy the foliage on your way to Granville, and Ashfield.  If you do stop at Elmer's, tell Nan that Joe T. sent you.  It is quite a place!