Community Fairs

Always call the fair to confirm dates!

Ashfield Fall Festival

Dates: Columbus Day weekend, October 11-12, 2008
10am-5pm

Ashfield, MA (Franklin County)
Admission: FREE
The annual Ashfield Fall Festival takes place up and down Ashfield's Main Street on Saturday, Oct. 11, and Sunday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Offers over 50 craft and art exhibits, locally prepared foods, activities for children, and live performances both days, including Morris dancers, community youth theater, and music by Zoe Darrow and the Fiddleheads and Lui Collins.

Website: www.ashfieldfallfestival.org
Festival Chairperson: Sandra Lilly ph: 413-628-4556
email: info@ashfieldfallfestival.org
Festival Committee Publicity: Laura Stravino, 413-628-4503

Belchertown Fair

Dates September 25-28, 2008

Town Common, Main Street, Belchertown
Admission: FREE
Wristband program and booths (Friday 3pm-10pm): Midway; 4-H activities, Exhibit Hall, Parade (Saturday 10AM), Horse Draw (Noon Sunday), Antique tractor display, Ox Draw (Sunday 10AM), Working steers & poultry show (Sunday), Music, Food! and other FREE entertainment all weekend.

Fair Information:
Phone (413) 323-7210
Fair Manager: Cindy Brown,174 North Liberty Street, Belchertown, MA 01007
Telephone : (413) 323-6654 Email: btrike@aol.com
Concessions Manager : Cindy Brown, Liberty Street, Belchertown, MA 01007 (413) 323-6654
Email: questions@belchertownfair.com
Website: www.belchertownfair.com

Charlemont Hometown Fair
Yankee Doodle Days

Dates July 26-27, 2008

Charlemont Fairgrounds
Admission 13&older $7.00, Children 4-12 $3.00, 3&under free
Friday 5:00pm to 11:00pm;
Music & Dancing, Amusement rides, Whiffle Ball Tournament, Ham & Bean Supper, Classic Cars, Fireworks.
Saturday 8:00am to 11:00pm;
Midway, Lumber Jill Show, Rosies Racing Pigs, Children´s Zoo, Ox Draw, Magician, Dancers, Games, Bands, Bar-B-Que, Demolition Derby, Music & Dancing.
Sunday 8:00am to 5:00pm;
Pancake Breakfast, Church Service, Midway, Zoo, Lumber Jill Show, Rosies Racing Pigs, Horse Draw, Gymkhana, Parade, Bar-B-Que, Games, Demolition Derby, Children´s Games, Music, Raffle

Information: Shirley Rouleau, 215 West Hawley Rd, PO Box 225, Charlemont, MA 01339
Email: srouleau001@aol.com

Deerfield Farm & Music Festival

Date August 23, 2008, 2pm - 10pm

Deerfield, MA, 1 mile south of Old Deerfield Village
Admission $10 adults, children under 16 free

Musical entertainment by: The Rising, Spancil Hill, Tom Ingram, Wild-Wood & Sweetwind

Farmer's Market, Farm booths, Sheep herding demonstrations, Vendor booths, Children's activities, BBQ dinner by The Sunset Hoopsters, BBC beer tent, Bart's ice cream

Festival of the Hills

Date: October 5, 2008

Memorial Common, Conway
Admission: FREE Open: 10 am - 4 pm
Events include: dog agility course demonstration, line dancers, an artists´ reception and straw sculpture. Tom Ricardi & his rehabilitated eagles, owls, falcons, and other birds of prey will be back this year, as well as the climbing wall. The exhibits in the town hall have been expanded for the fourth year in a row. Skillet toss, log splitting contests, hayrides, hay maze and ox cart rides for kids, 10K road race, duck race, parade. Lots of kids´ activities, cider pressing, blacksmithing, ferret rescue, quilting, spinning, and origami, home made candy, baked goods, fried dough with maple cream, cookie decorating, pie tent, cider, chowder, Mexican, Chinese, Polish, Tibetan specialties.
Fine art, historical & wildlife rehabilitation exhibits, as well as photos and historical materials about Conway´s agricultural history, baby barnyard, live music all day, big raffle. The Festival of the Hills is a Library of Congress Local Legacies Project and is part of the Library´s permanent collection. Proceeds from the Festival go to the Conway Student Scholarships

Contact: Bobbi Melville, P.O. Box 611, Conway, MA 01341
Web site: www.townofconway.com/festival.asp Telephone: (413) 369-4051

Hancock Shaker Village Fair

Dates: September 27-28, 2008

Hancock Shaker Village, Route 20, Pittsfield, MA
Admission $15, Youth ages 13-17 - $7.50, Children 12 and under - Free
Fun for the entire family. An old-Fashioned Country Fair featuring traditional crafts people demonstrating their skills and selling their work, lawn games for the kids, hands-on-harvest activities, a large Exhibition of Historic Livestock. Daily parade of animals and lots of hands-on animal experiences.

Contact: (413) 443-0188 or (800) 817-1137

Website: www.hancockshakervillage.org

Hardwick Community Fair

Dates August 15-16, 2008

Hardwick, Massachusetts
Free Admission, Free Parking

Friday Night from 5:30 pm: Fair Supper, Official Dedication, Exhibit Halls Open, Lumberjack Contest, Hay Rides, Live Entertainment, Obstacle Course, Games of Chance, and more!

Saturday from 8:30 am: Cattle, Sheep and Rabbit Judging, Tennis Tournament, Pony Rides, Farm Babies, Blacksmith and Stonecutting Exhibition, Sawmill and Timberframe Demos, Road Race, Dance Demonstration, Children´s Parade and Games, Chicken Barbecue, Live Entertainment, Frog Jumping Contest, Hay Rides, Agricultural and 4-H Exhibits, Art Show, Auction of Exhibits!
Ice Cream, Popcorn and Food Booths!

Website: www.hardwickfair.com
Email: lpaquet@direcway.com

Littleton County Fair

Dates September 6, 2008
10:00a to 4:00p

Fay Park Foster Street Littleton, MA 01460
Free Admission, Free Parking

An annual tradition in Littleton, the Country Fair is a fun-packed day for all ages. Special attractions for children include pony rides, an inflatable obstacle course, puppet shows, face and nail painting, old-fashioned games and contests, and more. Guests will enjoy listening to live music from the Fay Park gazebo and shopping at the various booths.

Refreshments, including baked goods and luncheon items will be sold during the day. Proceeds benefit First Church Unitarian with a portion of the proceeds to benefit a local charity.

Website: http://www.fculittle.org/
For information call 978-486-3044

Cranberry Harvest Celebration

Saturday and Sunday, October 11-12, 2008
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine

158 Tihonet Road, Wareham
Admission $2, free for children under 6, parking free.

Fifth Annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration sponsored by the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association and the A.D. Makepeace Company. Cranberry bog tours, helicopter rides, pony rides, cooking demonstrations, juried crafters and artisans, musical performances, games for children and much more

This a wonderful opportunity for the grower members of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association to share the beauty of the cranberry harvest with our friends and neighbors. We welcome people from throughout the region and world to witness the harvest of Americans native fruit.

Contact : Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Assoc. 508-322-4000
Website: www.cranberries.org or www.admakepeace.com

New Braintree Country Fair

Date September 20, 2008 9:30AM-10PM

Located in New Braintree Center at the intersection of Oakham Rd and Utley Rd
FREE Admission, FREE parking
Events are continually being added, but include: 1 mile FREE kids 12 and under road race at 9:30 am, 4.2 mile adult road race and walk at 10:00 am, Bonfire, Beer and wine garden, Free hay ride, Petting zoo, Pet parade, Face painting, Pony rides, Hay play game, Water balloon toss, Kid events, Crafters, Vendors, Farm products, Library book sale, Equipment displays, Police displays, Fire Dept. demo, Burnouts, Car show, Truck/Tractor/Cycle show, Chainsaw competition, Blacksmith, Photo exhibit, Plant swap, Flower displays, Scarecrow making competition, Three bands, Fire Dept. chicken BBQ, Historical Society cafe', Church dessert table, Reed's meal, Ice cream, Kettle corn, and more.

Email: NBCF@newbraintreecountryfair.org
Website: www.newbraintreecountryfair.org

Natural Resources Trust of Easton
Annual Harvest and Craft Fair

Dates: October 5th, 2008

10AM - 5PM
Location:Sheep Pasture, at Route 138 & Main Street, North Easton
Admission: Member Adults $5; Non-Members Adults $7; 5-16yrs $1; under 5 Free

Features over 100 selected crafters, chili cook-off, children's activities, pony rides, food, raffles, John Henry's World of Magic, and "New England Wildlife" by Blue Hills Trailside Museum. "The NRT Harvest Fair Salutes Local Talent", a rich mixture of country, folk, rock, blues, and jazz music. Proceeds to benefit the programs of the nonprofit NRT of Easton

Contact 508-238-6049
Website: http://www.nrtofeaston.org/events.html

North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival

Dates September 20-21, 2008

"The Festival That Stinks"
Forster´s Farm, 60 Chestnut Hill Road, Orange, Massachusetts
Time 10 AM - 5 PM both days, shine or rain.
Admission: 5 dollars per day, weekend pass $8.
Kids 12 and under free. Free parking. Wheelchair accessible parking and facilities, on-site vehicle to transport those with limited mobility. (see pet policy)

September 20 and 21 marks the Tenth Anniversary Celebration of ‘The Festival that Stinks.’ Find out what brings over 10,000 people to this phenomenal event for the whole family. The price stays low, yet the fun multiplies! There’s a buzz these days about food and energy “locavores;” the word was even added to the 2007 Webster Dictionary. The Festival is the place where the definition comes to life.

Delight in over 80 amazing art and agriculture booths; everything is made by hand or locally grown. Support fabulous artists and farmers and strengthen regional economy, shopping locally on a gorgeous farm illuminated by fall foliage.

Family friendly admission with something for everyone: Check out the portable sawmill or fuel your life with a renewable energy workshop. Take a break with tai chi or a massage in the healing arts area. It will be hard to pull the kids away from the emus, duck-herding dogs and alpacas, but they’ll love pressing cider or garlic papermaking. Definitely come hungry to enjoy the aromatic array of regionally produced, ethnic, and down home delights in the food courts, and while the scent of garlic from the wood-fired oven fills the air. Savor six chef demos plus the new ‘Field to Table’ cooking challenge: two culinary artists purchase products from our very own vendors then whip up a worthy garlic dish. Try the garlic hoola-hoop relay or the raw garlic eating contests-- if you can’t stomach it like the reigning winner at 45 cloves, just enjoy one of the garlic growing workshops held every hour and take some home to plant. Two solar powered stages resonate with great music and family entertainment throughout the weekend: Cailte Kelly Band, Mother Turtle, Bamidele Dancers and Drummers, Airborne Joel, Skeleton Crew Theater, Wright Brothers, InsideOut Dance Co, Peter Siegel, Jay Mankita and much more. What, no trash? Last year only two bags for over 10,000 folks- everything gets composted or recycled. And you won’t have to spend a buck to get a bottle of water—it flows freely for all.

Getting there: Visit www.garlicandarts.org for directions and alternative travel info. Our much-improved parking and expanded shuttle lot await you. Bike, hike, or ride the Magic Bus—the free biodiesel shuttle from nearby lots (take route 2 to exit 14). Check out Ridebuzz.org to carpool. Car free and carpoolers get a free raffle entry for great prizes.

“Festivals are the answer to peace around the world,” says Nobel Prize winner the Dalai Lama. Imagine. What the World Needs now is Love. And art, food, community, beauty, fun. Get it all at the Tenth Annual Garlic and Arts Festival, Saturday and Sunday September 20 and 21, 2008.

The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival is organized by a volunteer committee of neighbors and Seeds of Solidarity Education Center, a non-profit organization. Supporters include the Forster/Stewart Family, North Quabbin Woods, North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce and Massachusetts Office of Tourism, and the Local Cultural Council Agencies of Athol, Orange, New Salem, Warwick and Wendell.

Media inquiries: Deb Habib, deb@seedsofsolidarity.org (978) 544-9023
Web:http://www.garlicandarts.org

Old Sturbridge Village Fair

Dates: September 29-30, 2007

Rte. 20, Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge - 9:30 AM - 5 PM
Admission $20; Senior´s 65 and over $18; Youth (3-17) $6; Children Under 3 FREE

Join the festivities at a re-created 1830s celebration, the forerunner of the community agricultural fairs of today.

Come join in on the old-fashioned fun celebrating the season and this year's harvest. Throughout the day be sure to check out the displays of produce and examples of 19th-century craftsmanship, 19th-century cidermill and try your hand at cider making, demonstrations of old time agricultural tools, visit the Fate Lady and learn your destiny, take an ox cart ride, try craft activities, view some of our rarely seen collections out on display for the weekend, witness ox plowing demonstrations, visit with Artist in Residence Michelle Temares.

Contact: Susanna Bonta, One Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA 01566 508-347-3362 x325

Web site: www.osv.org

Annual Thanksgiving Harvest Festival

Dates: November 22-23, 2008, 10AM - 4PM

Red Apple Farm, 455 Highland Ave, Phillipston

Admission $2. In the spirit of the holiday, you can get 1/2 off the $2 admission by bringing a non-perishable food donation, which will be used to support local food pantries.

Featuring fresh crops and products from over twenty local farms, orchards and crafters.

Join us here at the farm the weekend before Thanksgiving for the annual Thanksgiving Harvest Festival, held since 2003. Over 25 local family farms and businesses come together to offer all the best fixings for your Thanksgiving table and home. The festival features delicious food, local live music, and the Harvest X-Games.

A New England Family Farm Experience. Red Apple Farm has been owned and tended by the Rose family for 4 generations. Located in scenic Phillipston, Massachusetts, we are just over an hour drive from Boston. Our location is unique at a high 1,250 feet above sea level. This means our orchards offer you some of the best naturally-colorful, extra-crisp apples in all of New England. We welcome individuals, families, school tours, social functions, and corporate gatherings to experience an old, scenic New England farmstead with plenty of things to see, taste, and experience!

Contact: Red Apple Farm

The Sterling Fair

Dates: September 5-7, 2008

The Sterling Airport, 121 Greenland Road, Sterling
Admission: FREE, Fri. 4:45pm-11pm. Sat. 8am-11pm. Sun. 8am-5pm
Come help us celebrate the Sterling Fair´s 25th Anniversary. We are celebrating Sterling´s apple heritage and there will be apple exhibits everywhere. Beef and dairy cattle, goats, poultry, rabbits, sheep, swine, agricultural, horticultural and home arts, auction of donated items (Sun). 4-H membership, chick hatching and rabbit displays, Heifer Project International livestock exhibit. Dale Perkins sheep dog demonstration, hooking, spinning and weaving demonstration. Guest Speaker, Paul Rogers, master gardener. Horse and oxen, apple pie making, chocolate chip cookie making, largest produce, children´s pumpkin decorating, lego, scarecrow decorating and adult vegetable/gourd decorating. Antique engine and machinery show, craft show, kiddie pedal tractor pull, frog jumping, log sawing. Fireworks (Sat), Frog Town Mountain Puppeteers, Gillette Shows midway and local bands, farmers market, pancake breakfast, food and commercial vendors.

Contact: Terry Heinold, 5 Crockett Road, Sterling, MA 01564
Web: http://sterlingfair.net//

Tewksbury Sp Ed PAC

Dates: October 25, 2008, 9AM - 2PM, Rain Date October 26

286 Livingston Street Recreation Center, Tewksbury

4th Annual Families Striding to Help Families Fair
This event is sure to be a fun filled day for the entire family! While the Bounce-a-thon is the focus of the event, there will also be vendors, food, music, games!

Children's activities for the day include inflatable jumpers & slide, hayrides, train rides, face painting, games and other fun surprises!
All Proceeds will benefit the Tewksbury Special Education Parent Advisory Council.

Web site: Tewksbury Sp Ed PAC
Phone: Carolyn 978-851-7004

Wachusett Mountain AppleFest

Dates: October 18-19 & 25-26, 2008, 10AM - 5PM

Wachusett Mountain, Princeton

Admission: Adults $9, Children 6-12 $5, Under $5 Free; Advance tickets: Adults $8, Children $4

The 24th Annual AppleFest is our popular fall festival celebration including over 60 craft exhibitors each weekend, farmers' market, special family fun side shows both weekends with traditional New England flair.

Don't miss the very popular pie-eating contests where you could win great prizes! Kids entertainment includes, magicians, jugglers, clowns, pony rides, and moon bounces! Peak fall foliage viewing from the SkyRide (additional cost).

PLEASE, No Dogs Allowed.

Advance Tickets

Western Massachusetts Gladiolus

Date: August 11, 2007

Rte. 20, Eastfield Mall, Springfield.
Admission Free, 9am-6pm.
Largest glad show in N. E. classes for juniors, amateurs & showmen. Classes in single spike, 2 spike & 3 spike, basket vases, arrangements & seedlings. No entry fee, welcome to exhibit for awards without being a member, class for 1st. time exhibitors.Non profit, glads shown in all uses. The newest introductions will be on display & shown, plus the best of the future glad. We have exhibitors from all of New England. We welcome new exhibitors and will help them exhibit.

Contact: Secretary Gary Adams, (413) 789-0307.

Whaling City Festival

Date: July 11-13, 2008

Veterans' Memorial Buttonwood Park New Bedford, Massachusetts
Fri & Sat 9:00am - 9:00pm Sun 9:00am - 8:00pm

37th Annual Whaling City Festival featuring dozens of international food vendors, 200 craft & flea market dealers, six staging areas of entertainment, and a giant motorcycle, custom car, & truck show on Sunday.

Web site: www.whalingcityfestival.com/