A Magical Ride to the North Pole on The Polar Express Train

by Laura Gustafson and Shannon Souaibou / New England Fall Events

The historic Blackstone Valley train
depot was renamed for the Polar Express

In November, we took our families to experience The Blackstone Valley’s Polar Express Train Ride first-hand. Celebrating its 17^th year, this is the longest running Polar Express train ride event anywhere in the world and it’s a gem to have it right here in New England. 

Written in 1985, The Polar Expressä is a Caldecott Award winning children’s book beloved by families and has been embraced as a holiday reading tradition.

Author and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and continues to live in nearby Providence, RI so it is a natural fit that the very capable Blackstone Valley Tourism Council has produced this annual event for New England families, even developing it with the input of Mr. Van Allsburg. This memorable train ride is an annual outing for New Englanders and this special event precedes Academy Award nominated The Polar Express movie which came out in 2004.

At the train depot there were multiple Polar Express photo backgrounds and a place to write a letter to Santa

The Polar Express operates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the five weekends leading to Christmas.  We brought our two families on a Saturday afternoon for the 1:00pm train. There were seven of us--four adults and three children ages 2.9, 4.5 and 5 years old. Children are encouraged to wear their pajamas on the trip and ours did so. We rode in the Comet car, which, after the Rudolph car, is the most affordable of the six train car/ticket options. This article will speak to our particular experience on the Comet car and it should be noted that each train car will have some variation and offer its own unique experience.

The depot was decorated inside and  offered a small concession stand. The train platform greeted us with (fake) snow! 

The website advised that we arrive at the station an hour prior to departure and mentioned there would be activities to enjoy while we waited. We managed to arrive a half hour prior, and once we’d parked and had our tickets scanned, we were in the station 20 minutes prior to the train departure. Wait times for everything were very quick and was quite appreciated!

Elves turned the pages while our
storyteller read fromThe Polar Express.

The Woonsocket Train Depot, which doubles as a gift shop, became very crowded as the passengers gathered inside so arriving a half hour before departure gives you more than enough time to enjoy the activities, especially considering the seats on the train are assigned. (But don’t cut your arrival too close because the train leaves promptly on time!)

The pre-ride “activities” consisted of taking your own photographs of your children with themed Polar Express backdrops and the opportunity to write a letter to Santa. As these are not time-consuming activities, we were able to complete them prior to boarding the train. The gift shop wares were reasonably priced as well and the indoor concessions stand sold popcorn, water and soda for $2.00.

Storyteller Jen was great at keeping
the kids engaged the whole ride through 

The train began boarding fifteen minutes prior to departure and was fully boarded in less than ten minutes. Fake snow drifted down to greet us on the train platform as we prepared to board our train car. Every passenger received a golden train ticket which would be punched by the conductor while on the train.

Each train car features their own storyteller/activity leader, a chef, an elf, and an engineer. Our storyteller on the Comet car was Jen who was very enthusiastic and made the trip a lot of fun. She kept the children well-engaged for the duration of the 90-minute train ride. It’s also nice that each train car includes music and provides microphones for their performing cast to make it easy for passengers to hear them.

L to R: The golden train ticket, the special gift from Santa, the kids stretched their legs by dancing in the aisles. 

The train cars are beautifully decorated with lace curtains, festive red and green seat covers, giant wrapped presents in the luggage racks above the seats, and garlands for atmosphere. All cars are heated and there are bathrooms on every other car (on Dancer, Comet and Cupid). The seats in the Comet car are very comfortable making it an enjoyable ride.

Getting our golden tickets punched

The train departed promptly on time. Storyteller Jen began reading the story of The Polar Express while Elf Mia and Chef Debbie moved through the car showing the pictures. Families may want to bring their own Polar Express book which would be easier for little ones to follow along in their seat.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, Storyteller Jen paused her reading of the book while hot chocolate and cookies were served throughout the car. The hot chocolate was dairy-free, came in a nice collectible travel mug, and was served at the perfect temperature for kids to sip right away. The cookies were completely nut/gluten free. 

The arrival of Santa Claus!

Once refreshments were passed out, Jen finished reading the book and the train conductor came into our car to punch our golden tickets. While the conductor punched tickets, Jen led the car in a sing-along, prompting Santa’s arrival. You could feel the excitement of the children when Santa arrived! 

The Comet car is the second to last car in line on the train and Santa arrived at our car about forty minutes into the trip which was about midway through. This Santa was very authentic and attentive to each child making for a personal experience. He took his time to talk to the children and happily paused with the families who wanted to take photos to capture the moment.

Santa happily paused for a photo

A recording of Josh Groban singing “Believe”, the Academy Award-nominated song from The Polar Express film, could be heard while Santa walked through the car presenting each child with their first gift of Christmas—a small gift that has an important relevance in the Polar Express story.

At one point the train even stopped at “The North Pole”—depicted by a candy stripe pole visible outside—which allowed for the engine to be switched for the return ride back. On the return ride there was more sing-along time and the children were invited to dance in the aisles. 

They were given crayons and a custom, commemorative coloring book complete with a pictures of the Woonsocket Train Depot and of our train conductor Bob! We were given Polar Express bingo cards to play on our way back to the station. At the end of the ride, Santa returned to our car to thank everyone for coming.

After the ride, Santa waits in his sleigh

inside the depot for family photos

Back at the station there are opportunities to take more pictures of your children with Santa in his sleigh against an attractive Polar Express backdrop. Though the pictures-with-Santa line was extremely long, the queue moved swiftly and we made it to our picture in ten minutes.

All in all, it was a great afternoon! Start to finish, (from our arrival at the station to heading home) the experience took us two and a half hours. To see the joy on our children’s faces and to hear my daughter say excitedly, “He knows me!” when she saw Santa is a memory I won’t soon forget.

Tips for Families Attending the Blackstone Valley Polar Express Train Ride

The train cars were decorated with red
and green seat covers, garlands, and more

• The Blackstone Valley Polar Express website has a ticket purchase section which offers different tiered pricing for the various train cars. From highest price to most affordable, you can choose from the premium cars Prancer, Dancer, and Dasher, and the coach cars include Comet, Cupid, and Rudolph which are all the same price. See pics of the (undecorated) cars. 

• Price tiers for each car will reflect a slightly different experience. The Prancer Car is the dining car so you’ll find tables with place settings and it’s a perk that your family can be seated facing each other. 

The kids played Polar Express Bingo
to pass the time on the train.

• For 2016, the Premium Cars will also include free gifts such as Polar Express teddy bears (Dasher), Polar Express Santa hats (Dancer), or the Polar Express ceramic mug (Prancer) included with your ticket purchase and have individual armchair seats and large observation windows. The premium cars also have fewer seats per car (and are always the first to sell out) so in addition to being roomier, they offer a more personal, more intimate experience with your family and the performers. 

• The Coach Cars are all very comfortable and festively decorated as well but they include conventional forward facing bench seating and will include more passengers. 

• Although every car will include the Santa visit, Polar Express Bingo, collectible coloring books, sing-alongs, storytelling, cocoa, cookies, collectible travel mug, and gift from Santa, the various performers will offer their own twist on their show. For example, the Dasher performer brings a guitar and leads a more musical show so your families’ experience may vary slightly.

The cookies on the train are nut-free
and gluten-free for everyone to enjoy.

• In 2016 they are offering 3 ticket price tiers--Adult, Children's tickets (13mos-12y), and an Adult with Baby lap-sit option (infants up to 12 mos).
  Adult tickets range $44-68 (Nov) and $52-82 (Dec).
  Children (13mos-12y) tickets range $42-67 (Nov) and $49-79 (Dec).
  Adult with Baby lap-sit tickets range $54-78 (Nov) and $62-92 (Dec).
  Prices on the train cars increase in price the closer get closer to Christmas.
  Knowing the ticket prices and how kid-focused the event is, we think kids who are at least 2-3 years of age are best suited to the experience. 2016 upgrade info.

• The Blackstone Valley Polar Express Train Ride operates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the five weekends leading to Christmas. Trains depart at 4:00pm and 7:00pm on Fridays, 1:00pm, 4:00pm, and 7:00pm on Saturdays, and 10:00am, 1:00pm, and 4:00pm on Sundays. 

We appreciated the time Santa took 
with each of the children on the train.

• Pictures can be taken at the train depot with Santa, Conductor, Chefs and Train Engineers and in front of the lovely Polar Express backdrops--all are all included with your ticket price! You should plan to use your own camera to take pictures as there is not a formal photographer (and therefore no extra photo purchase fees). Santa pics are only post-ride (to keep the anticipation for his arrival on the train ride) but the others are available before you board the train. Though the post-ride line to have photos with Santa was very long, it moved quickly and we made it through in 10 minutes.

• We traveled to the Blackstone Valley Polar Express Train Ride from the Framingham, MA area and it took us about 45 minutes to get to the station. The depot was easy to locate.  It took about seven minutes to park but only two minutes in line to have our tickets scanned to get into the station. Parking is free. 

Photos with Santa Claus after the ride

• Due to the crowds inside the station we would not recommend bringing a stroller.

• Pajamas are encouraged and welcome for this event—yes, for both kids and adults!

• The gift shop is located inside the depot and accepts cash and credit cards.

• Anyone needing to use the restroom before boarding the train would need to exit the station to visit Guest Services around the side of the building.

• The train is wheelchair accessible containing a lift for non-motorized wheelchairs.

• Tickets sell very fast for this beloved annual event and the tickets sell out every year. Believe it or not, certain tickets are already on sale for 2016 on select dates and select cars.

• New changes coming for 2016: Certain premium cars will include extra goodies such as a Polar Express Teddy Bear (Dasher car), a Polar Express Santa hat (Dancer car), and the exclusive Polar Express ceramic mug (Prancer car).

Note: The photography in this article was provided by I Love Olive Photography and may not be reproduced, shared, or borrowed without credit and permission. 

Vermont's Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival - Where Medieval Engineering Meets Squash

by Deb Wojcicki / New England Fall Events

A late September treat for us, New England Fall Events enjoyed the 7th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival in Stowe, Vermont.

This one-day, family-friendly festival provided an exciting afternoon of fun featuring food and drink, the People's Choice Chili Cook-off, children's activities, music, and of course, the all-important pumpkin chuckin'!

The premise of this event centers around the engineering challenge of designing trebuchets of all size and types to hurl pumpkins across a field to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd. Twenty-six teams entered the competition this year in four categories: Heavyweight, Middleweight Open, Middleweight Junior and Lightweight.  Teams consisted of friends, family, and even Boy Scout troops.

For the uninitiated, trebuchets are a type of gravity-driven catapult employing a counter-weight system to sling projectiles towards some far-off target. Imagine a line of medieval-looking siege-machines set up in a field preparing to do battle...except instead of hurling rocks at castles, here they were competing with each other for the distinction of flinging pumpkins the farthest.

The larger the machine, the larger the pumpkin it can accommodate. As the trebuchets launched away, the projectile pumpkins rolled, bounced and splattered all over the field with officials chasing after the fruit to measure and record the distance flown.

Some spectators in attendance were there to appreciate the mechanical engineering involved; others were transfixed by the competition itself - either way, these machines were truly magnificent to watch.

When not mesmerized by flying pumpkins, children were entertained by giant board games, blocks and games of throwing skill. The bands played on and off during the event, which ran from 11:00am to 4:00pm. The chili cook-off judging began at 12:15pm and for a mere $5, festival attendees could taste the various chili offerings and vote for their favorite blend. Four teams entered the chili cook-off so there was plenty of variety and adult beverages could be purchased to round out the lunch.

The pumpkin chuckin' action began at 12:30pm and throughout the afternoon. The 8th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival is scheduled for Sunday, September 25, 2016 and it's a fine afternoon, we're sure, for trebuchets and chili.

Tips for Planning Your Trip to the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival:

Tickets are $5 at the door for adults and children 5 and older; younger kids get in for free.

Cash is king for food and drink at this festival.

Bring lawn chairs, a blanket, umbrellas, bug spray, sunscreen or anything else you'll need to be comfortable while you are watching the competition; there are no grandstands or picnic tables, but you may sit on the grass if you wish.

Dogs and outside food & beverages are not allowed.

There are a few tents for the food and such, but no indoor space to speak of. The event runs rain or shine.

Restroom facilities consist of porta-potties, but no lines were observed so there seemed to be plenty.

Trebuchet mishaps are rare, but they do occur. If you are watching from behind the trebuchet line, you may be asked to move while the machine in front of you is firing. Be prepared for a short wait between launches as the competition waits until the spectators are safely dispersed.

There are three rounds of competition, so get there when you can - it goes all afternoon.

Ample free parking is provided in a field adjacent to the event.

Traffic going in to the event was fairly smooth and parking easy to find; be patient when you leave as people tended to leave en masse at the end of each round of competition.

Exploring the Local Game Industry at the Boston Festival of Indie Games

In mid-September New England Fall Events ventured to Cambridge, MA to experience the Boston Festival of Indie Games first-hand. Held at the Johnson Athletic Center on the campus of MIT, the two-floor festival is an incredible showcase of independent digital and board game designers, developers, and artists.

The 2016 Boston Festival of Indie Games will take place Saturday, September 10th, 2016 at the MIT Johnson Athletic Center. Click here for full details.

I went solo to this event and I confess I was equally intrigued and intimidated by covering this festival –I honestly don’t know a thing about digital gaming--but that also seemed the very best reason to go. Surely our New England Fall Events readers might also be wondering what this festival is all about and whether it’s an experience which would be inviting to the casual (or non-) gamer.

I do know a bit more about board games which in the biz are referred to as “tabletop games”. I have a life-long love of sitting around a table with friends or family (whoever will indulge me!) sharing laughs and trading barbs over a round of Who? What? Where?, Hoopla, Phase 10, Milles Borne, Taboo, and many others. In recent years my eyes have been opened to completely different side (to me) of the game industry which includes genre-inspired tabletop games with elaborate stories, expansion packs, ever-evolving house rules, frequent Board Game Geek consultations, and more. Thanks to FlyingFrog’s zombie B-movie themes board game Last Night on Earth my wallet is a little lighter but I have memories of super intense zombie vs hero marathon standoffs to show for it.

I also became rather smitten with ZMan Games’ “Pandemic” in which players work collaboratively towards the common goal of stopping viral epidemics from developing into a global pandemic. I found the idea of “cooperative games” particularly appealing as the competitive aspect of the game remains but the players aren’t driven to cut each other’s throats to win. The iPad version of Pandemic plays quite similarly to the original tabletop version (why not let the game shuffle the cards after all?) and it satisfies me while I am in between human game playing gatherings.

Aha! So, it turns out I do have a little experience with digital gaming--after all, an iPad game is quite obviously also digital game and I merely needed to expand my definition of digital games to include those not solely played on a PC or Xbox.

Even if you’ve never considered yourself a “gamer,” if you enjoy spending time playing conventional tabletop board games or killing time with your favorite guilty pleasure on a tablet then you would probably find the Boston Festival of Indie Games as fascinating as I did.

I arrived at BostonFIG and parking was a snap (and affordable) at the garage across the street from the Johnson Athletic Center in Cambridge, MA. The registration for the event was held outside under the overhang to the facility. I took my badge and headed in.

L to R: A kiosk of tabletop games for sale, digital game artist meet and greet, games for free play.

The ground level hosted the tabletop game booths. The festival was set to open to the public at 10:00am but press was invited to get a head start meeting with the exhibitors at 9:00am. At that hour, many exhibitors were still setting up and numerous booths were still unoccupied. I chatted up Jeff Johnston, a game designer with Pair of Jacks Games. Jeff had two of his published family games Toasted or Roasted and Flashlights & Fireflies available for sale and this year he was showcasing his prototype Moonquake Escape for people to play and gather feedback. Jeff was generous with his time and offered an insider tip that I ought to check out the digital game floor early so I could speak with the designers and developers there before the crowds arrived and the room became busy (and warm). I promptly took his advice and made a beeline for the third floor.

Set on the athletic track, the third floor was already buzzing with action by the time I'd arrived. Every table showcased their game which ranged from tablet-only games to elaborate set-ups enabling attendees to experience a game in virtual reality or “standard” play. Although there were small screens and large monitors wherever I looked, playing the games wearing headphones is the norm so the floor lacked the din of narration, ray gun peeoo peeoos, environmental noise, and the like. (Note to germophobes, bring your own headphones if you wish as we saw many who did just that.)

Cornell Game Design students demo'd their game Arc en Ciel and showed samples of their art.

I was content to observe others playing the games while engaging designers and developers to learn more about what they were showing on this day but it didn’t take long for me to jump in to play my first game—Arc en Ciel. To be perfectly honest, what first caught my eye about this game was the four people at the booth showing the game were all young women. Being a woman myself, I was curious to learn more about their game and how they came to game design. It turns out they were all students at the Cornell Game Design Initiative and Arc en Ciel was the result of their class project collaboration. In this game, you play the main character Ciel who finds herself suddenly living in a black and white storybook. Ciel moves through the scenes in the book collecting paint to add color to the book’s illustrations. She discovers treasures as she moves through the levels and aims to avoid the “bad guy” Illustrator who aims to revert the story to a colorless world. The women—the designers and illustrator-- were excited to share their game and talk about how it came to be. 

With one game under my belt I quickly realized that this festival wasn’t simply a place to gather ideas about which games were coming down the pipeline and meet local designers. Games, of course, are meant to be played so the best way to get the most from the day was to experience as many games as possible no matter how novice I looked trying to learn them.

My first virtual reality experience

It was not long into my foray on the digital floor before I was approached by Eric Janzen who was showcasing VirZoom “Virtual Reality that Moves You”. I’m not a fan of bikes at all so it took some gentle encouragement from Eric to even get me on the stationary bike-type contraption. Once the seat was adjusted, he placed Virtual Reality (aka “VR”) goggles over my head and fastened them in place so it didn’t shift when I moved my head right or left. He explained I would be moving as a horse in a race and to direct my moving horse to bump into other horses to score points.

With few words of instruction (“lean your shoulders to the right to steer your horse right”, “pedal your feet to accelerate”) I was up and running. I am pretty certain my jaw dropped to the floor within the first seconds of pedaling and moving. The responsiveness of the horse (my character) to my body’s subtle movements was phenomenal.  So subtly that I hardly noticed, the stationary bike also responded gently with the movement and actions of my horse only adding to the total immersion of the experience. I’d never donned a pair of VR goggles before this and I had never yet experienced the ability to turn my head right or left and the scene before me adapts to expand my environment to wherever I looked.

Learning to fly at the VirZoom booth

After I’d gotten the hang of the game, Eric said it was time to try a different variation. This time, my horse would continue to race to bump into the other horses but now when I pressed the simple button on the “bike” handles I my horse would grow wings and fly. Unsure exactly what this meant, I did exactly what he said and pressed the button and suddenly felt a gentle “lift” sensation from the bike seat while my horse grew giant Pegasus wings and began to ascend.

To say this was one of the most extraordinary experiences is not to do it justice. I have never known anything quite like this! It had the weightless thrill of being on a roller coaster but instead of feeling like I was “riding” the horse, I was the horse—it was me who felt the sensation of flying across the sky. The moment I lifted off I remember reacting to the exhilaration with a sudden gasp of air and what surely must have been a ridiculous gaping smile. Turning my head right and left I could see the wide Pegasus wings flapping slowly and powerfully beside me. Whatever I did, the animal responded. If I forgot to pedal the bike, the horse would gently begin descent—again, not just visually descend but I would simultaneously feel the descent reflected in the movement of the bike itself.

I admit I was completely reluctant to end this mind-blowing first experience with VR and especially with the VirZoom bike. As much as I am not a fan of biking, I didn’t mind the pedaling one bit for this game and I find the idea of being physically active while immersing yourself in a video game also very appealing. It was possibly the world’s easiest way to exercise.

When I removed the goggles, I came crashing back to the moment. I surprised myself by wanting to cling to the fantasy world of the Pegasus and the way the goggles just drop you so completely into the virtual world. I also was surprised that while I’d been flying around on the bike, quite a crowd had gathered around me! It took no time at all for Eric to find another willing participant. I stayed around to see the new participant’s reaction to his first flying moment curious if he’d be as thrilled as I was. (He was impressed too but less demonstrative than I surely had been!) 

Dozens of different games to test run

The games being showcased at BostonFIG are in varying stages of development. Some games are at BostonFIG simply to be game-tested-- to see where players get caught up, which parts players don’t get the hang of, and learn which aspects of the game play or story holds greatest appeal. Others like VirZoom are not quite released to the public yet but give people an idea of what joy there is in store.

It's important to realize that we the festival goers at BostonFIG aren’t merely consumers of these products but are active participants in providing feedback to the designers as they continue to work on and refine their game play. By having both complete novices (like me) as well as experienced gamers, the developers are gathering useful feedback to help them make adjustments before going live to the public. The festival provides designers with a peek into how quickly a new player can grasp the play.

Some games rolled out for the festival are still in prototype so it’s possible certain interactions within the game don’t yet function but the minor limitations don’t keep you from having plenty of fun while you gain a sense of what a game is about. Other games were already quite far along in the process or already “shipped” (a phrase I learned applies to digital products going “live” to the public).

Getting a feel for playing Red Survivor
at the Mustachio Games' booth

Most of the designers and developers I met at BostonFIG were based in New England, primarily in Massachusetts. Massachusetts alone accounts for $2 Billion-plus of the digital gaming industry and we met quite a few people showcasing their digital games who were currently enrolled as game design undergrads at various colleges across the northeast. The Mass Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI) is based at Becker College in Worcester, MA and it serves to support the academic and economic development, entrepreneurship, and mentoring in the state. Their efforts can be seen through the sheer number of digital games showcased at BostonFIG which had designers who had participated (or developed their game) under the guidance of the MassDiGI summer innovation program. Their managing director Monty Sharma was a wealth of information for me in understanding the various moving parts that work together to carry a game concept to a fully funded, intelligently marketed, shipped product for us consumers.

One of the games workshopped in the MassDiGI summer program was Red Survivor –a survival strategy game set in pre-WW I Russia in development by Mustachio Games with the cheeky tagline “Hide Your Babooshka”. As with many of the games at BostonFIG, we were able to play a prototype of Red Survivor with gentle prompts and help from Dylan Mayerchak, the designer and programmer to help us get up on our feet and get a feel for the game play.

Ape Law's popular Albino Lullaby
offered standard and VR play options

Albino Lullaby by the Ape Law held a neighboring booth and offered conventional PC game play but also the option to play wearing virtual reality glasses (the game is “optimized” for Oculus Rift goggles which haven’t been released to the general public yet, only to developers).

Tagged as a “first-person horror adventure,” Albino Lullaby’s booth was in full swing all day long with large crowds gathered around to watch this visually stunning narrative-based interactive game which was only three days away from its official game release and is now available to the public.

The Town of Light's haunting digital game
draws from a village's complicated history

I also spent a good deal of time at The Town of Light table learning about their ultra-creepy but hauntingly gorgeous adventure game centered around is a fictional story inspired by factual historic documents and authentic medical practices employed at the enormous psychiatric asylum—Ospedale Psichiatrico--situated in the tiny Italian hill town of Volterra.

The real-life asylum housed up to 6,000 patients and during its time of operation was the town’s largest employer until it closed in 1978. The now-abandoned, condemned property was captured first by the game designers with a video walk-through then re-created digitally for an authentic look and feel, complete with the same graffiti you’d find within its peeling walls today. The details of this game are breathtaking—the medical charts that depict astounding and graphic surgical procedures—all real and true to the time and period of this hospital.

The representative for The Town of Light Stefano Petrullo was gracious enough to play the game for me so I could watch and listen to the atmospheric sounds and see the story unfolding while he deftly moved from room to room explaining the various connections and characters.  Mr. Petrullo shared with me the designers had taken great care to create a story that was both authentic to the practices at this notorious hospital yet respectful of the patients who may have suffered there.

After a few hours on the digital floor I started to feel the wooziness from the morning of visual and audio over-stimulation couple with the increased stuffiness in the room. Though there was plenty left to see, I switched gears and made my way down to the tabletop game floor.

Maze Racers hosted an active table
for tabletop game players of all ages

Upon entering the tabletop floor, I felt the instant calm that human-paced gaming action affords. The predominant sound on this floor was laughter. Everywhere I looked there were smiling, chatty festival goers seated around tables or cradling little game pieces in their hands. Lacking the hyper-focused intensity which pervaded the digital floor, the vibe down here was relaxed and the temperature in the room noticeably more comfortable.

I wandered from table to table soaking up the game play summaries and strategies. Everything from fantasy-genre card games to family-style collaborative games dotted the booths. Rather than play most games from start to finish, you were invited to just jump in on a game and someone was always there to help you get your feet wet and explain as you played.

One of the most hilarious games I came across also held the most straightforward game play. Why the Long Face?, billed as "the game that brings taxidermy to life", laid four giant picture cards on the table each with a wildlife photograph animal face and the animal’s common name. The participants take turns individually or as a group imitating the expression of a particular animal on a card while the judge tries to guess which animal everyone is mimicking. The game was ultra-simple and totally ridiculous and we all were in tears from laughter while playing it. Within minutes the game testing strangers had become instant friends, ribbing each other for our silly efforts and crazy faces.

At the Why the Long Face? table we competed to contort our faces to match an animal's expression.

The game designer Penelope Taylor had brought her game to BostonFIG to gather feedback about the game but also to invite ideas on how to solve her biggest game playing conundrum—how to end the game! However, from the looks of it, Ms. Taylor has since solved her dilemma as it was nice to see that she’s since launched her Why the Long Face? Kickstarter campaign.

Buy The Rights was a game instantly popular with fellow tabletop game players and the designers shared that they too were gearing up for their Kickstarter in November. In Buy the Rights, players draw one card from each of the categories—genre, hero description, hero, and plot—and have to make a movie pitch using those cards to a producer who will determine which movies will receive funding and to what degree.
Again, sometimes the simplest ideas are the ones which work so well. The easier a game is to learn the play and strategy, the more appealing it is to roll out with a group of friends or family for a spontaneous game night.

Dragoon's high quality materials and
attractive color scheme was a standout

“Want to hold my tiny metal dragon?” asks one of the Dragoon designers as he presses a miniature orange dragon into my palm while I am passing by. It works—the weight of the little game piece feels heavy and substantial in my hand and piques my curiosity. I stop to observe the gameplay and take in the game. Using a gorgeous color scheme, sturdy metal game totems (no plastic chips here), and a fabric map as its game board, the choice of materials for this eye-catching game made it a standout at BostonFIG and it made me realize how few games I play offer such high quality materials. I could imagine Dragoon must be a pleasure to play and it seems others agree with me as Dragoon was bestowed with the “Audience Choice” Figgie Award this year at BostonFIG. 

The Cookie Brigade volunteers kept us
fed while raising funds for Child's Play

I did start to get fairly famished around 2:30pm and didn’t see much in the way of lunch options. There were snack vending machines near the bathrooms on the 1^st floor (chips, etc) and thanks to the treats by The Cookie Brigade, my blood sugar got a boost.

We can’t resist giving a deserved shout out to the folks at The Cookie Brigade which is a collection of local volunteers who hand out their free baked treats at local game fests in the hope you will make a donation to Child’s Play (and of course you will happily do so!) The Cookie Brigade alone has raised over $200,000 for the charity Child’s Play whose mission "seeks to improve the lives of children in hospitals and domestic violence shelters through the generosity and kindness of the video game industry and the power of play."

The two floors at BostonFIG—tabletop and digital—are completely different in terms of energy, vibe, crowds, and quite frankly, even temperature. One could see all aspects of the tabletop exhibits during the day but I think it would be hard to see all the digital floor booths in a single day. To do both floors, as I aimed to do, means accepting you’ll only get a taste of each.

L to R: Grow Fairy Kingdoms for sale, the World prototype display, folks learning the Water game.

Many of the attendees at BostonFIG were college-age (it is held on a university campus after all) but there were some teenagers and I saw several kids about 10-11 years old there with parents in tow. It seemed appropriate for teens and probably a good idea for 13 year olds and under to be there with an adult (for no reason other than it seemed like a good idea) as it can get crowed and some parents may want to inquire about digital content in advance (graphic, etc.)

There was a lot to love about going to this festival and there’s just no way to see it all, especially if you plan to explore both floors. The designers were incredibly generous with their time, patience, and were eager to share what they were working on. As a complete newbie to this industry, I felt very welcomed by all, learned a tremendous amount, and it is a festival that would is as fascinating for curious folks like me as much as it is for self-described gamers.

Stargazing, Quince Festival, Dog Days, Chocolate Tastings, Gingerbread House Competition, and More: New England Fall Events Top Picks for Nov 4-10, 2015

Once Halloween comes and goes we can't help but feel a little wistful as the fall event schedule begins to narrow and most events move indoors. We're never happy to bid farewell to our beloved harvest events and outdoor festivals!

We've pulled together a list of some worthy events for this coming weekend and we hope you will take advantage of the variety of activities while we have them.

At this point in the fall season, we here at New England Fall Events will turn our attention towards event wrap ups from our many events we attended. We'll keep publishing over the next few months and we'll remind you of these special festivals again as we get closer to their return next year.

Thank you all for your support of New England Fall Events all season long! We were proud to double our fall event listing this year to include over 1200 individual New England events on our schedule.

Our local farms, museums, theatres, community centers, seasonal businesses, and local attractions keep raising the bar each season and we continue to be impressed by the range of fantastic activities and festivals for celebrating our favorite time of year.

New England Fall Events also is very fortunate to have two more contributing bloggers this year who made it possible for us to cover more of New England and even greater variety of events this season--thank you to Shel Tscherne and Deb Wojicki for their time, energy, and shared enthusiasm for our region, our local traditions, and for bringing the best of the season to our wonderful fans.

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for this Weekend's Fall Fun

As the fall event season draws to a close, we still have a solid selection of activities for this coming weekend. You'll find more events on our website and a smattering of events in the coming weeks (but not nearly as many as we approach Thanksgiving).
Here are our Weekend's Top Picks (as always, you'll find even more online). 

Here are our recommended activities for November 3rd-10th, 2015:

Holidaze: The Real Story of Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas Exhibit
Guilford, CT       Click for details
Wednesday through Sunday,
November 4th - December 13th, 2015

Lakes Region Uncorked
Meredith, NH       Click for details
Thursday, November 5th, 2015

Stargazing Night At Frosty Drew Observatory
Charlestown, RI       Click for details
Friday, November 6th, 2015

RI Comic Con 2015
Providence, RI       Click for details
Friday through Sunday, November 6-8th, 2015

CraftWestport 
Westport, CT       Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, November 7th & 8th, 2015

Quince Festival at White Silo Winery
Sherman, CT       Click for details
Saturday, November 7th, 2015

Christmas Festival and Gingerbread House Competition
Boston, MA       Click for details
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 6-8th, 2015

Free Friday at the The Discovery Museums
Acton, MA       Click for details
Friday, November 6th, 2015

Family Autism Event at Children's Museum in Easton
North Easton, MA       Click for details
Friday, November 6th, 2015

Three Centuries of Thanksgiving Tour at Strawbery Banke
Portsmouth, NH       Click for details

Saturdays and Sundays, November 7th & 8th, 2015

Bounty: Thanksgiving at Old Sturbridge Village
Sturbridge, MA       Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, November 7th & 8th, 2015

Cordials and Chocolates Class at Canterbury Shaker Village
Canterbury, NH       Click for details
Saturday, November 7th, 2015

Spirits in the House 1960s Retro Party
West Hartford, CT       Click for details
Saturday, November 7th, 2015

Dog Days at Old Sturbridge Village

Sturbridge, MA       Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, November 7 & 8th, 2015

Victorian Tea at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion
Norwalk, CT       Click for details
Sunday, November 8th, 2015

Wagon Ride Weekends at Billings Farm & Museum
Woodstock, VT       Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, November 7th & 8th, 2015

Heading out for some fall fun this weekend? 

Need help mapping out where to go? New England Fall Events’ state page maps are handy for scrolling and spotting farms near home or near your road-trip destination.

Find Orchard and fall attraction maps for
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine,

Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Remember, always call ahead before heading out to PYO as some farms will adjust their hours for weather or they'll begin to close for the season.

Costume Contests, Pumpkin Festivals, Local Halloween Fun for Kids and Adults, and Much More: New England Fall Events Top Picks for Oct 27-Nov 3, 2015

One of the biggest family celebrations of the year is nearly here--Halloween! As we round the corner towards the end of October, there are plentiful fall activities to catch your eye. We're a a bit sad to see our favorite season passing us by so quickly but we plan to make the most of it while we can.

We love Halloween as much as you do and there is no better place that captures the look and atmosphere of this holiday than our beloved New England. It shouldn't come as a surprise that our region hosts many different Halloween events for kids and adults alike. This week you'll see an abundance of Halloween fun and the hardest part just may be deciding between so many great options!

Never too late to pick pumpkins at a local patch!

As you know by now, New England Fall Events makes it a snap to find a local pumpkin patch for carving your jack-o-lanterns this week! Add the various community pumpkin carving contests and pumpkin displays and you will certainly need to stock up on more than a few.

We have state-by-state guides and maps to all your local farms featuring pumpkin patches and PYO pumpkins.
Here are New England Fall Events' Pumpkin Patch Guides for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Still time to find you costume for Halloween events, costume parties, and masquerade fun! Visit our sister site for all your local Costume and Halloween Stores needs

We are always happy to tip people off to our sister website Halloween New England which is host to guides for finding your state's Costume and Halloween stores. We have lists of locally owned, year-round, as well as many seasonal pop up stores. 

Here are Costume and Halloween Store guides for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Discovery Museums is a hotbed of  Halloween fun for kids all week long!

Open year-round, there are no shortage of events happening at The Discovery Museums in Acton, MA all week long leading up to Halloween!

Here's a sample of their kid-focused Halloween-themed events this week: 

Tuesday, Oct 27th: "Make a MESS: Spooky Science"
Thursday, Oct 29th: "Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Science"
Friday, Oct 30th: "Backyard and Beyond: Last Minute Nature Halloween Costumes"
Saturday, Oct 31st: "Wild and Spooky Animals in Your Neighborhood".

Save the date: "ASD Friendly Afternoon" at the Discovery Museums Tuesday November 3rd, 2015 

Plus, New England Fall Events has posted a fresh contest this week to WIN a pair of passes to The Discovery Museums in Acton, MA where play and discovery take center stage! Contest ends Nov 1st, no limit entry. Enter the contest at www.NewEnglandFallEvents.com

New England Foliage Report from our favorite foliage tracker Jeff-Foliage:

If you're like us at this time of year, you are regularly pulling your car over to take a few snapshots of those unexpected foliage surprises you stumble upon while running your daily errands or coming and going from work.
This week Jeff Foliage offers up some tried and true tips for capturing those gorgeous scenic vistas or quaint New England leaf tunnels during this time of year:

"I’m not saying that following these implicitly will get you in a major magazine but you should come home with better quality photographs of New England’s fall foliage. These tips work 365 days a year 24/7… ..." Click here to read Jeff's Foliage Photography Tips

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for this Weekend's Fall Fun

It's all Halloween, all the time this weekend! No matter your age, get in the spirit of the season with family events, Halloween festivals, costume parades, costume contests, adult Halloween activities, and more.  Here are our Weekend's Top Picks (as always, you'll find even more online). 

Here are our recommended activities for October 27- November 3rd, 2015:

Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular at Roger William Zoo
Providence, RI     Click for details
Nightly, now through November 1st, 2015

Make a MESS: Spooky Science at The Discovery Museums
Acton, MA       Click for details
Tuesday, October 27th, 2015

Art in the Orchard at Park Hill Orchard
Easthampton, MA       Click for details
Wednesday through Saturday, October 28-31st, 2015

Wee Faerie Village presents Whimsical Kingdoms
Old Lyme, CT       Click for details
Wednesday October 28 - November 1st, 2015

Halloween Gingerbread House Workshop for Adults
Middlefield, CT       Click for details
Thursday, October 29th, 2015

Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Science at The Discovery Museums
Acton, MA       Click for details
Thursday, October 29th, 2015

Haunted Hall Crawl & Costume Ball
New Haven, CT       Click for details
Thursday, October 29, 2015

Plainfield Pumpkin People
Plainfield , NH       Click for details
Thursday-Saturday, October 29-31st, 2015

Howl-o-Ween at the Beardsley Zoo
Bridgeport, CT       Click for details
Friday and Saturday, October 30th & 31st, 2015

Wadsworth Mansion Haunted Halloween Bash
Middletown, CT       Click for details
Friday, October 30th, 2015

Full Moon Toddy Hike
Sheffield, MA       Click for details
Friday, October 30th, 2015

Backyard and Beyond: Last Minute Nature Halloween Costumes at The Discovery Museums
Acton, MA       Click for details
Friday, October 30th, 2015

Pumpkins Aglow at Edaville USA
Carver, MA       Click for details
Friday, October 30th, 2015

Ghost Stories in the Gore Mansion
Waltham, MA       Click for details
Friday, October 30th, 2015

Ghosts on the Banke at the Strawberry Banke Museum
Portsmouth, NH      Click for details
Friday and Saturday, October 30th & 31st, 2015

Halloween Gingerbread House Workshop at Lyman Orchards
Middlefield, CT       Click for details
Saturday, October 31st, 2015

The Perfect Pumpkin Party
Bristol, RI       Click for details
Saturday, October 31st, 2015

Pumpkins On The Point - FREE
Old Saybrook , CT       Click for details
Saturday, October 31st,  2015

Halloween Kids Fest at Tony Andrew’s Farm
East Falmouth, MA       Click for details
Saturday, October 31st 2015

Dog Walker’s Weekend at Mike's Maze
Sunderland, MA       Click for details
Sunday, November 1st, 2015

Wagon Ride Weekends at Billings Farm & Museum
Woodstock, VT       Click for details
Sunday, November 1st, 2015

ASD Friendly Afternoon at The Discovery Museums
Acton, MA       Click for details
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015 

Heading out for some fall fun this weekend? 

Need help mapping out where to go? New England Fall Events’ state page maps are handy for scrolling and spotting farms near home or near your road-trip destination.

Find Orchard and fall attraction maps for
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine,

Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Remember, always call ahead before heading out to PYO as some farms will adjust their hours for weather or they close to allow more time for fruit to ripen.