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| Enjoying the pumpkin patch at Weir River Farm. |
The onset of
fall is a traditional time to celebrate the harvest and acknowledge the change
of seasons. Between now and Halloween there are a number of local fests and
feasts, offering all sorts of activities for young and old. Think: hay rides,
corn mazes, visits to the pumpkin patch, plus lots of locally grown food and
freshly pressed apple cider. Read on, and mark your calendar!
Historic O’Neil Farm
Day – Saturday, September 15, from 11-3 (rain date: 9/16). Visit the
historic property and continue the Duxbury 375 celebration with
food and festivities including music from The BogStompers, a meet and greet
with the O'Neil dairy calves, informal tours of the barnyard, and fun
activities and games for the kids. Parking will be available at the Autumn Ave.
entrance, with access to the barnyard via the Avery Walking trail or a hayride.
36th Annual Corn
Festival: Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23, from 10-4 at the South
Shore Natural Science Center, Jacobs Lane, Norwell. This family-friendly event
features children’s games, a crafters’ village, hayrides, farm animals, live
music, animal demonstrations and plenty of refreshments for sale, including the
Kernel’s Kitchen famous corn chowder. Call 781-659-2559 or visit www.ssnsc.org for details.
Harvest Moon Feast:
Monday, September 24 from 6-9 pm at Mill Wharf Restaurant, Scituate Harbor. Support
the North and South Rivers Watershed Association while sampling dishes prepared
by favorite local restaurants, caterers and purveyors of fresh food. This
benefit event includes live jazz by the Lance Van Lenten Trio, beer and wine
tastings, and a cash bar. Call 781-659-8168 or visit www.nrswa.org for details.
2nd Annual
South Shore Celebration – Saturday, October 6, 10-4:30 at the Marshfield
Fairgrounds. This event celebrates the fall harvest, local foods and sustainable
living. There will be plenty of good food, plus over 75 local gourmet and green
vendors, a seafood throwdown, an electronics recycle station, a field to fork
dinner, live music and entertainment featuring Melodeego, workshops on
sustainable living and local food, a kids corner, and a live broadcast from
95.9 WATD. For details, visit www.southshorecelebration.com.
9th Annual Cranberry
Harvest Celebration – Saturday and Sunday, October 6 & 7 from 10-4. Hosted
by the A.D. Makepeace Company and the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association,
this fun family event features juried crafters, activities for children, animal
shows, cooking demonstrations, food vendors, helicopter and pony rides, and
much more. Plus up-close views of a working cranberry bog at harvest time.
Location: 158 Tihonet Road, Wareham. Call 508-322-4000 or visit www.cranberries.org/festival for
details.
Bog Hollow Farm’s
Annual Pumpkin Patch Weekend – Saturday through Monday, October 6-8 (rain
date: 10/13-14) from 10-4. Located at 80 Wapping Road, Kingston, this farm has
a lot to offer during harvest season. Take a ride in the hay wagon to the
pumpkin patch where you can search for your perfect pumpkin. Or get lost in the
maze, have fun in the hay jump, visit the animals, or just relax and enjoy the
beauty. Purchase fresh cranberries, check out the farm equipment on display,
dress up as a fireman and take your picture on an antique fire truck -- plus
Ellie & Vinny’s famous hot dogs. Call 781-585-8414 or visit www.boghollowfarm.com for details.
Plimoth Plantation's
6th Annual Harvest Festival – Saturday through Monday, October 6-8, from
10:30-4:30 at Plimoth Plantation, 137 Warren Ave. Plymouth. Join the Wampanoag Indigenous
Program for a day of fun-filled activities to celebrate the vegetable harvest.
Join the native people for 17th century-style singing, dancing,
games and feasting, and learn about their harvest and culture. Call
508-746-1622 or visit www.plimoth.org for
details.
Harvest Dinner with the Pilgrims –
Saturday, October 6 at 5:30pm at Plimoth Plantation, 137 Warren Ave.
Plymouth. Sit down to a “groaning board” filled with the finest food that
the season has to offer in the savory journey into the past. Your Pilgrim hosts
– residents of 1627 Plimoth – will share tales of England, and sing psalms and
songs. Discover the table manners and recipes that traveled across the Atlantic
with the Pilgrims and find out what happened at the famous harvest celebration
of 1621. Call 508-746-1622 or visit www.plimoth.org
for details.
Weir River Farm Fall
Festival – Saturday, October 13th from 10-2 at
Weir River Farm, Turkey Hill Lane, Hingham. Sponsored by the Trustees of
Reservations, this annual fall festival celebrates the bounty of another
successful farm season with live music by the Jackson Wetherbee
band, pumpkins to paint and other kids crafts, pony rides, touch a
tractor, and more. Meet the Belted Galloway cattle, Tamworth pigs,
Icelandic sheep, Buff Orpington chickens and ponies. Call 781-740-7233
or visit www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/greater-boston/weir-river-farm.html
for details.
Mass Audubon’s Farm
Day – Saturday, October 20, 10-4 at Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary,
Winslow Cemetery Road, Marshfield. Mass Audubon’s annual event for families
features hayrides, owl demonstrations, live music, a fine arts and crafts show,
children’s games and crafts, face painting, a giant hay maze, home-baked treats
and other delicious food. Call 781-837-9400 or email southshore@massaudubon.org
for details.
Halloween Howl –
Saturday, October 27, 5:30-8:30pm at the South Shore Natural Science Center,
Jacobs Lane, Norwell. A not-too-scary night of family fun ($6 members/$8
non-members for each child, accompanied by an adult). Activities include a
pumpkin carving station, seasonal-themed children’s activities, and a walk
through the “Spooky Woods” and decorated EcoZone museum. Wear a costume if you
like and bring a pumpkin to carve. Call 781-659-2559 or visit www.ssnsc.org for details.
August 2012
Kezia Bacon's articles appear courtesy
of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit
organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and
conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership
information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781)
659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and
Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
