Fairy Houses, Pumpkin Chuckin', Autumn-Fest, Fluffernutters, and more- New England Fall Events Top Picks for Sept 23-29, 2015

It's another white-hot weekend for fall festivities coming up! Your head just may spin from all the fabulous fun competing for your attention! 

Where is New England Fall Events Headed this Weekend?

How far can YOU chuck a pumpkin?

New England Fall Events is thrilled to be making our way up to the 7th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Event! Set in a wide open field, competitors engineer DIY trebuchets to see how far the participants can catapult a pumpkin!With three rounds of launching in four different "weight" categories, this fun fall event also features a chili cook-off, live bands, children's activities and more. Pumpkin Chuckin' Event details.

While in Vermont we will be popping by Sam Mazza Farms to enjoy their Giant Pumpkin Weigh-in for the first time. 
As if that isn't enough, we're also very excited to be visiting Springfield's The Big E on Friday and Fright Fest at Six Flags New England on Saturday! Looks like we will be busy making the most of the fall fun that New England has to offer--what will you be up to?

This weekend's Portsmouth Fairy Tour is one of the most anticipated events of the season!

Just one of over 200 stunning fairy houses

You've been seeing us build it up for weeks and you might be wondering why! Our experience at the Portsmouth Fairy House Tour was so special and memorable that we simply refuse to one of the best events of the season be overlooked!
We've got a sneak peek into the Fairy House Tour with our short video of festival moments and our full write up will give you in-depth look at why this is a festival not to be missed!

Can't attend this weekend? Here's our Fall Guide to Fairy and Princess Events Across New England.


The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival is a world class gem in our backyard

Beatnik Jam at the PTown TW Fest

The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival is an acclaimed 4-day festival featuring many of the lesser-known, rarely-produced, or newly interpreted Williams’ plays often in unconventional settings (inside a home, at a boat slip). 

Celebrating its 10th year, New England is incredibly fortunate to host a festival of this stature right here in our own backyard! We had an outstanding time last year attending this festival and appreciated the unique vision and re-imagined productions that this festival features. 

Tickets are limited for the performances running Thursday through Sunday and we hope you will have a chance to go. Here's a full account of our trip to this event and we'll give you a taste of the treat you are in for! 

Bridgewater celebrates 27 years of Autumn-fest this Saturday

Barn Babies were a hit at Autumn-fest

This Saturday will be a whirlwind of fun starting off with the Autumn-Fest in Bridgewater, MA--their 27^th year of bringing fall fun and community support to the residents of Bridgewater and beyond!

Autumn-Fest is a super family-friendly festival jam-packed with kids’ activities, performances, crafts, vendors, train rides, live music, bouncy houses, petting zoo, and more all on the expansive quad at Bridgewater State University.
New England Fall Events had the pleasure of attending this festival first-hand and here's everything you would love to know about Autumn-fest.

Flufferettes at What the Fluff? Festival

Somerville's What the Fluff? Festival Coming up Saturday!
You may not know that inventor Archibald Query developed Marshmallow Fluff right in Somerville’s Union Square 98 years ago but if you are a native New Englander you know what an important role fluffernutter sandwiches play in our childhood food culture.

The Somerville What the Fluff? Festival this Saturday gives proper homage to this sticky sugary culinary goo with wacky games, fluff-inspired food, fluff jousting, fluff fear factor and more! Eating FlufferNutters are a New England childhood rite of passage and now you can add the What the Fluff? Festival to your True New Englander bucket list. Read about this one-of-a-kind festival right here: "Somerville's Fluff Festival is Sticky, Campy Fun for your Bucket List".

In case you missed it...

We recently posted our wraps ups from our recent visits to a few delightful New England Festivals.
Be sure to check out "Celebrating the 'stinky rose' at Vermont's Garlic and Herb Festival" and "King Richard's Faire Offers Charm and Good Cheer" which is an ongoing festival through October.

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

This week Jeff Foliage says "Welcome to the First day of Autumn--Last week we were wondering if the cooler temperatures of autumn would ever arrive. But just in time for the first day of fall the summer temps have broken and it feels like autumn. The fall colors can't be too far behind these cool temps..."  Click here to read Jeff's full report.

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

With plenty of fantastic festivities going on this weekend we don't envy you having to narrow down your fun. As always, there are even more terrific events listed on every New England state’s Fall & Activities guide and Food & Harvest Festival Guide.

Here are our recommended activities for Sept 23-29th:

An Evening With Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Peer into a fairy house in Portsmouth NH

Providence, RI     Click for details
Thursday, September 24, 2015

"Harvest Moon" Full Moon Dinner
Newry, ME     Click for details
Friday, September 25th, 2015

Brews & Blues Beer Tasting at The Windjammer
Westerly, RI     Click for details
Friday, September 25, 2015

11th Annual Portsmouth NH Fairy House Tour
Portsmouth, NH      Click for details.
Saturday and Sunday, Sept 26th & 27th, 2015
Our in-depth look at the Portsmouth Fairy House Tour!
Check out our video from last year's Fairy House Tour.

Autumn-Fest in Bridgewater MA

Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival

Provincetown, MA     Click for details.
Thursday through Sunday, Sept 24^th - 27^th, 2015
Here's why this is a cultural gem not to be missed!

Foraging Edible Wild Mushrooms at Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Boylston, MA     Click for details

Saturday, September 26th, 2015

Working Waterfront Festival
New Bedford, MA     Click for details
Saturday & Sunday, September 26th & 27th, 2015

Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In at Sam Mazza Farms

Fluff-a-tron 3000 at What the Fluff? Fest

Colchester, VT      Click for details
Saturday, September 26th, 2015

Autumn-Fest– FREE

Bridgewater, MA     Click for details.
Saturday, September 26^th, 2015
Read about our visit to Autumn-Fest!

Pumpkin Festival at Escobar’s Highland Farm 

Portsmouth, RI      Click for details. 
Saturday, September 26th, 2015 (rain date 9/27)
Coupon
Read about our visit to the Escobar Farm Corn Maze

What the Fluff? Festival – FREE
Somerville, MA    Click for details.
Saturday, September 26, 2015 (Rain date: Sunday, Sept 27th)

Garlic lovers unite in Orange, MA

Peru Fair

Peru, VT   Click for details.
Saturday, September 26^th, 2015.

North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival
Orange, MA  Click for details.
Saturday and Sunday, September 26^th-27^th, 2015

Wild Mushroom Festival at DPNC
Mystic, CT     Click for details.
Sunday, Sept 27^th, 2015
Read why we recommend and love this festival - festival tips included!

Williston Chowder Challenge

Trebuchet at VT Pumpkin Chuckin'

Williston, VT     Click for details
Sunday, September 27th, 2015

Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival
Stowe, VT  Click for event details.
Sunday, September 27^th, 2015

Especially for Me! Free Morning for Families with Deaf or Hard of Hearing Infants and Toddlers at the Discovery Museums
Acton, MA     Click for details
Monday, September 28th, 2015

Night Paddle and Blood Moon Eclipse Event at Fields Pond
Holden, ME     Click for details
Monday, September 28th, 2015

Heading out apple picking this weekend? New England Fall Events has complete guides, features, maps, and contact info for New England PYO apple orchards. Here are your quick links to the apple picking guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

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

Bridgewater's Autumn-fest Celebrates 26 Years Supporting the Community

The quad at Bridgewater State University was the ideal
place to host a festival of this size and popularity.

Autumn-fest in Bridgewater, MA is the definition of the modern fall festival even though it has been a mainstay of the community for over 26 years.

The 2016 Autumn-fest will take place this year on Saturday, September 24th, 2015 10:00am - 4:00pm. Click for this year's details.

Originally hosted in the tree-lined downtown, Autumn-fest now calls the expansive, luscious green quad at the center of Bridgewater State University its home. It’s a good thing too because with an annual event this popular every bit of space is needed. 

The Bridgewater community and its neighbors have the folks at the Bridgewater Business Association to thank for bringing the community together each September. Working closely with Bridgewater State's Office of University and Community Partnerships, the BBA has been fortunate to have the University's support in accessing the space they have needed to grow the festival.
The focus of the BBA goes well beyond business networking and professional support to play a meaningful role in lifting up the Bridgewater community through its Assistance Fund. If there is a local family in need or enduring a difficult situation, the Assistance Fund contributes to mounting heating bills or stocking the cupboards. In less than a decade the Bridgewater Business Association’s Assistance Fund has distributed over $75,000 to local families.  

That impressive contribution is made possible through fundraising from two key events mounted by the BBA—Christmas on the Common in December and Autumn-fest every September. And thanks to their hard work and stellar organization, these are the highlights of the calendar year.

The shady section near the food vendors was a perfect
area for sitting down to enjoy your bite to eat.

Autumn-fest is quite simply an afternoon of pure fun. On the day New England Fall Events had the pleasure to visit, it was unseasonably warm and blindingly sunny. In fact, it felt a bit like a summer-fest and we are perfectly fine with that. 

Mother Nature delivered a day that was meant to be spent outdoors and Autumn-fest certainly fit the bill in every way. Because the quad at Bridgewater State University is plenty large, even with over 6,000 people in attendance there was still enough elbow room to go along with the festive atmosphere. 

D's Lectables home-baked coffee cake

The majority of the quad is peppered with rows of tents—each featuring different business vendors, well over 100 in total.

Autumn-fest features a really nice variety of local businesses—from local artisans, studios, dance schools, home services, jewelers, bakeries (the most gorgeous coffee cake we have ever seen), and countless others. 

The vendors were generous with their time and suitably engaging. It was a lovely and casual way for visitors to connect with local service providers and artists. Some vendors offered special crafts for children to do for free and we even saw yoga mats set up for a children’s yoga class.  

The K-9 Demo drew a big crowd 

Towards the front of the quad was a large lawn where performances and demonstrations were scheduled throughout the day. There were DJ services from JAS Productions playing music which kept the energy up between shows. The performances drew large crowds, hundreds of kids lining the perimeter and seated on the grass. 

The local police K-9 demonstration was fascinating, educational, and immensely popular. Other performances include singer/songwriting duo Bridge and Davies, the women’s barbershop chorus NoteAble Blend, and a local dance team.

Ceramic painting at Autumn-fest

There were countless kid-pleasers scattered around from face-painting, Poppee the Clown making balloon animal, pumpkin painting, sand art, paint-your-own pottery, monster-mask crafts, train rides around the campus, and a bouncy house for the Energizer bunny in your family. 

Autumn-fest even provided digital ID photo and fingerprinting services for families which is always an appreciated service.

It was animals who seemed to steal the show both formally, as in the aforementioned K-9 demonstration, and informally through two very different interactive booths. Joe’s Crazzy Critters had a live, (mostly) reptile display and handling booth from where curious tweens welcomed a Burmese python to be draped over their shoulders. 

Burmese Python at Joe's

The folks at Joe’s were patient, even-keeled, and able to answer everyone’s questions while putting the weak-kneed (like me) at ease. The selection Joe brought with him included a pair of python, a pair of turtles, a monitor lizard, a bullfrog, and a hedgehog. Their easy-going demeanor was as appealing as their animals were.

When it came to animals of the furry variety, Barn Babies had everyone covered. For obvious reasons (i.e. cuteness factor) this may have been the smash-hit of a festival that had no shortage of activities to love! It’s always a welcome sight to see animals that are as happy as their professional handlers. Barn Babies erected a wide pen area with sub-divisions for the safety of the animals (to avoid a situation where a bunny pops out of one’s hands and winds up under the feet of many people standing in the pen).

A sweetly swaddled bunny
from Barn Babies

Every time a bunny or kitten was prepared to be held by a festival guest, the Barn Babies handler would pull a freshly laundered blankie from a large stack, swaddle the baby animal cozily into a package, and then gently hand the animal over to a seated guest. Without a wriggling animal to contain, the guests could relax and gently stroke the animal’s head. Likewise, the animal appeared to feel safe and snuggled by the swaddle and you could see them relax and calm before your eyes. 

Despite the enthusiasm of the young guests to hold the animals, Barn Babies’ thoughtful approach to their charges’ well being and safety was evident in the animals’ body language--none seemed frightened or over stimulated. The beauty of this arrangement is that the babies gain much-needed socialization and the all-important handling in a way that kept them safe and cared for. Barn Babies was an impressive addition to the festivities and a perfect example of the careful and thoughtful planning that went into Autumn-fest.

Take a train ride around the campus

There were a handful of food trucks arranged under the shady trees offering BBQ, fried chicken, burgers, ice cream, and the like. The food lines alternated between being long and relatively short and it should be noted that all of the beverages were being sold at the Bridgewater Business Association’s fundraiser booth.

It’s clear that with twenty-six years under their belt, the BBA’s Autumn-fest is not simply a familiar annual event in the Bridgewater-area community but a truly beloved one. The important fundraising aspect of this festival is a long-lasting one for families in need. By gathering with your neighbors to celebrate the fall season, every festival goer is helping to strengthen the charitable efforts of the good folks at the Bridgewater Business Association that serve to lighten the load of those in our community who could use an extra hand. 

Although Autumn-fest is over for this year, there's an opportunity to support more of the BBA's charitable works in the community by stopping in for some winter fun at the upcoming Christmas on the Common on Sunday, December 7th, 1:00pm-4:00pm in downtown Bridgewater.  

Autumn-fest Festival Tips

• Although many of the craft vendors selling their wares accepted plastic, many were only set up for cash. Cash will come in handy for everything here from the dollar here or there for extras like Barn Babies or riding the train to buying tasty treats. It's a short walk to the town center where you can find an ATM but you'll be glad to plan ahead.

• Parking is around the area but many lots are marked off for University parking permit holders so be patient when searching for a spot.

• The beverages were being sold at the the BBA booth near the food vendors but was not available for sale at the food trucks. You'll need to stand in a second line if you want a drink to go with your burger. If you can, divide and conquer.

• Leave yourself a few hours, especially if you are there with kids. There are no lack of activities with strong kid-appeal so plan to spend your day in the sunshine.

• If gluten allergies are a concern in your family, consider packing a snack. I did see a baker selling gorgeous gluten-free treats and BBQ is usually gluten-free, you'll have peace of mind if you come prepared with allergy-safe food.