thePULSEThe Perfect Alternative to Heading Out of Town
By Cherie Ronayne
Ah, it’s that time of year again, time for the sweet, sugary smell of cotton candy in the air, lights pulsing, bells ringing and your date screaming, “Let’s go on the Scrambler again!”
Festivals and fairs are in full swing in the summer months and there’s lots of variety to choose from all around Central MA. Don’t miss the great ethnic fairs including the huge Greek Festival held in conjunction with St. Mary’s Albanian Orthodox Church at St. Spyridon (behind Elm Park) June 2, 3, 4. The festival features Cultural Exhibits, Greek Food & Pastries, Live Entertainment, Greek Dancing, and much more. For additional information, check out www.spyridoncathedral.org. For the BEST cannolis this side of Shrewsbury St., make your way to the Italian Festival at Our Lady of Loreto, 33 Massasoit Rd, Worc. (for more info. call: 508-753-5001). Salsa ‘til it hurts at the Latin American Festival, August 19 and 20, downtown Worcester. For more information contact Centro Las Americas, (508) 798-1900, info@centrolasamericas.org.
Or how about or The Blackstone Valley Celtic Festival, July 22 – 23 from 10am-8:30pm, Uxbridge Rd., Sutton? It offers traditional Celtic arts, Irish music, step dancers, crafts, pipebands, heritage, food and fun! For more info go to www.blackstonevalley.org or call (508) 234-9090 / (800)454-2882.
Dying for more cultcha? Check out the entertainment and 150 exhibitors at the Templeton Arts and Crafts Festival from Aug. 19 to 20 on the Templeton Common, Templeton, or the entertainment and 175 exhibitors at The Country Folk Art Show, July 21-23 at the Host Hotel & Convention Center, Sturbridge.
Ethnic fairs not your thing (shame on you, not wanting to get some cultcha when it’s right in front of you!)? How about something a little dungeon-y and dragon-y like the Medieval Festival at Higgins Armory Museum, 100 Barber Ave, Worcester, on Sat., June 17 from 10am-5pm, with jousting, a medieval fashion show, traditional craft demonstrations, entertainment, musicians, and food. For more information, www.higgins.org or (508) 853-6015.
There’s always the 10th Annual Festival of the Lion, a medieval-fantasy Renaissance faire sponsored by the Lions Club of Grafton, Aug. 26 & 27 from 11 am-6pm. Amongst other Medieval and Renaissance characters in costume, you’ll see Will Shakespeare, the Renaissance Players, and the Paladin Knight. There’s plenty of other Renaissance-style entertainment with singers, jugglers, fire tricks, puppets and much more. Food and merchandise vendors. Proceeds benefit the MA Lions Club Eye Research. For more information, (508)839-4893 or info@festivalofthelion.com
Not enough Renaissance yet? Then you’ll want to hit the Silver Kingdom Renaissance Festival in Charlton, June 3-4 from 10am–6pm at Ye Olde Commons, 120 Northside Rd. Help celebrate the Spring Festival in the Silver Kingdom with entertainers galore and merchants peddling their wares ~ plus Merry Mischief, a children’s garden, boffer tournament and other surprises as well. For more info go to www.kingdomfestival.com
At the end of the summer season, the Aggie fairs start rolling around. Don’t miss the 118th Annual Spencer Fair, billed as “Central Massachusetts’ Largest Agricultural Fair.” This has become a traditional Labor Day w-end event, so get your fix of “the Biggest Pumpkin,” “the furriest rabbit,” the Demolition Derby and the worst music ever (I’m kidding! I’m kidding!) on Sept 1-4.The Fair features a 2 X 2 Super Zoo, Winn’s Galaxy of Thrills Arial Show, an exhibit of live ocean creatures, sheep dog demonstrations, and an Iron Man Rodeo to name just a few. In addition, the stage will host live entertainment and there are agricultural exhibits and shows throughout the weekend. For more information go to www.spencerfair.org or call: (508) 867-6877.
The Bolton Fair is Sept 23 and 24 at the Lancaster Fairgrounds, Route 117 at Route 110. For more information go to: www.boltonfair.org
The Franklin County Fair is Sept. 7-10, and more information can be found at www.fcas.com. For more info. on the Aug.31 – Sept. 4 Three County Fair, check out www.3countyfair.com. The Sterling Fair, a 2 1/2 day event in Sept., posts its schedule at www.sterlingfair.com.
And The Big E (The Eastern States Exposition), king of them all, runs from Sept.15 – Oct.1. This one, the largest fair in the Northeast, has a little (or a lot) of everything, so go to www.thebige.com to find out about the midway, the shows, the food, the animals, and just about everything else under the sun. If you make time for just one fair/festival this season, make The Big E the one…there’s nothing like it!
And if you still can’t find anything to do, then I give up!
