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From The MilfordDailyNews.com - Sunday, September 24, 2006

A day for all ages
By Clarissa J. Walker

Sunday, September 24, 2006

To 8-year-old Andrew Sullivan, fall bliss requires two things -- playing soccer and the annual Hopedale "Day in the Park."
"This is my most favorite part," Andrew said, taking a break from Moonwalk bouncing at the event yesterday. With his soccer number, 17, painted blue on
his cheek, he said the face painting booth is another of his favorites.
"We come every year for the kids," said Hopedale resident Rick Sullivan, who has attended the event with his son for eight years. "They love it for the
junk food."
Sporadic drizzling and a gloomy grey sky lost to a community’s love of a tradition that dates back for more than 25 years. While there were fewer
attendees than previous years, hundreds turned out for the annual event at the Hopedale Town Park. "Rain scared away a few, but it’s not bad," said Billi Manning, chairwoman of the Hopedale Cultural Council, the coordinating group. The purpose was met in spite of the weather, she said, "It’s just supposed to be a big community get-together."
"Yesterday" and other songs from a Beatles-only repertoire provided a backdrop for over 30 attractions and booths, which included local vendors and student groups.
"People adore it," said Sara Shonbrun of the Liverpool-bred tunes.
Shonbrun, a crewmember of the musical group Help!, is a former Hopedale resident. Her husband and keyboardist, Mark, has led the group back to the Hopedale event for the past four years.
"It appeals to all generations," she said.
Flavored ice, Polish sausage smothered in onions, chili and French fries were the main attractions -- mostly fund-raisers -- for some. Plunging a
big-mouthed classmate in the chilly waters of the Dunker was a hit for others. 
One group of Hopedale Junior-Senior High School students came with a more serious aim. Student members of S.A.D.D., Students Against Destructive
Decisions, sought to remind attendees to buckle up in a hands-on way.
A new car, donated for the day, was the game board. The object of the game was to have a child sit in each seat on the car, one at a time, and buckle
up in under a minute. Yo-yos and other toys were the prizes for the day, but president of S.A.D.D. Kim Corvi said when the habit is instilled, the prize is
life in the long-term.
"We want to help people feel comfortable talking about safety," said Corvi, a senior at Hopedale Junior-Senior High School. "This event is good,
because instead of promoting on signs at school, here is a real car."

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Reaping a healthy harvest of apple pie - Grafton fair spices up common Sept. 24
By Bonnie Russell TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

GRAFTON— Apples and spice and many things nice will be available at the 27th annual Apple Pie Social and Harvest Fair, which will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 24 on Grafton Common, Route 140. Admission is free and all ages are welcome.

The apples and spice are not just limited to the pies; apple crisp will also be available for sale. And among the many things nice will be a beautifully restored two-story, 4-foot-long antique dollhouse.

In February, the dollhouse was anonymously left outside the Grafton Thrift Shop, which is run by the Evangelical Congregational Church, the same group that sponsors the fair. The dollhouse was restored by several members of the church and includes such details as new door hinges and electrical wiring, said Dana Wilson, one of the organizers of the fair
The dollhouse and a handmade quilt will be raffled off at the fair. Tickets for the dollhouse are $5 each, or $12 for a book of three. Tickets for the quilt are $2 each, or $10 for a book of six.

The pie dough is made ahead of time by volunteers and then brought to one of two workshops held at the Evangelical Congregational Church of Grafton. At the workshops, the dough is rolled out, the apples prepared and the pies put together and then frozen. They are baked just prior to the festival. They will be sold by the slice or as a whole pie.

“Last year we made over 300 pies and sold out,” said Mrs. Wilson.

The menu also includes chili, corn chowder, sausage and peppers, baked potatoes, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, hamburgers, cannolis and candied apples.

“Children and adults of all ages will have fun trying their hand at the many games and activities offered at the fair,” said Bill Keeler, fair chairman, in a prepared statement.

“The carnival games such as the ring throw, balloon darts and beanbag toss are always popular. The haystack treasure hunt, radar pitch demonstration and rapid basketball shot game offer fun for everyone,” Mr. Keeler added.

This year, Ga Ga, a game resembling dodge ball and played inside a hexagon, will also be featured. Crowns and medals will be awarded in three categories: children younger than 6, youth and adult.

The Kelly Clark Harvest Jazz Band, a classic jazz quartet, will play throughout the day. The FiddleKids of Worcester, directed by Myra MacLeod, will perform Celtic fiddle and traditional American tunes at 12:30 p.m. The Puppet Preachers, a group of girls and boys ages 10 to 12, will present skits using a variety of puppets and contemporary music at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.

A moonwalk, face painting and pony rides are available.

Arts and crafts tables and cookie decorating tables will provide some hands-on activities for children. Representatives of the Molly Bish Foundation will be available to create free child identification kits.

A silent auction, penny raffle and gigantic yard sale provide opportunities to gain a few treasures.

At the penny raffle, buckets or containers are placed in front of donated items.

Raffle tickets are purchased for $1 each and filled out by the purchaser and placed in the bucket in front of the desired items. “During the last hour of the fair, a raffle is conducted for each item. We contact people who are not present,” Mrs. Wilson said.

The yard sale boasts handmade crafts, jewelry, dishes, sporting goods, and small household items and features a special children’s toy table.

“It is a fun and safe event,” Mrs. Wilson said.

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Massachusett’s Blackstone River Valley Comes Alive With Twenty-One Special Events For 2006 Heritage Homecoming

GRAFTON - The 21st edition of Blackstone Valley’s Heritage Homecoming will feature twenty-one special events held over two consecutive weekends, September 23rd to 24th and September 30th to October 1st. Heritage Homecoming celebrates the eleven historic Blackstone River Valley communities of Massachusetts and features specially designated heritage tourism and cultural events.

In addition to the traditional Heritage Homecoming events - Sutton’s Waters Farm Days, Hopedale’s “Day In The Park” the Harvest Fair and Apple Pie Festival in Grafton, and the Civil War Encampment and battle reenactment at the historic River Bend Farm in Uxbridge, this year showcases a new open house event at Daniels Farm Homestead in Blackstone. Open to the public for the first time in the fall of 2005, Daniel's Farm joins us in celebrating Heritage Homecoming for the very first time.  The venerable old farm house and several of the outbuildings of the farmstead will all be open (including the historic cider mill)  from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm for tours on Saturday, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st.  Included will be exhibits of yesteryear, a sampling of live farm animals, and hand spinning on a genuine antique wheel.

Once again a feature event of Heritage Homecoming will be the Reverend William Blackstone Ecumenical Breakfast. Grafton will host the annual breakfast on Friday, September 29th at the St. James Church hall located at 89 Main Street in South Grafton. The breakfast begins at 8:30 AM. Tickets are $6.00 per person and can be reserved by calling Blackstone Valley Heritage Homecoming Chairman Spaulding Aldrich at 508-234-5043. A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door on the day of the event. The breakfast is sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Heritage Homecoming Committee with the generous support of National Grid.

National Park Service Ranger Chuck Arning of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor be the featured speaker and will talk about the circa 1828-1848 Blackstone Canal and recent initiatives to uncover and preserve the canal in South Grafton and throughout the Blackstone Valley.

River Bend Farm will host a Civil War Encampment and Living History Camp at the Heritage State Park as part of Blackstone Valley Heritage Homecoming Weekend 2006.  Authentic battle re-enactments will be held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, September 30th and October 1st.  

Blackstone Valley Heritage Homecoming Committee
Media Contact: John LaPoint
E-Mail: glfjl@aol.com

 

A Short Blackstone Canal History: The Significance of the Blackstone Canal to America's Industrial Development By Ranger Chuck Arning GRAFTON - The historic Blackstone Canal will be highlighted at this year's Blackstone Valley Heritage Homecoming's Reverend William Blackstone Ecumenical Breakfast. Grafton will host the 20th annual breakfast on Friday, September 29th at the St. James Church hall located at 89 Main Street in South Grafton. The breakfast begins at 8:30 AM. National Park Service Ranger Chuck Arning of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor will talk about the circa 1828-1848 Blackstone Canal and recent initiatives to uncover and preserve the canal in South Grafton and throughout the Blackstone Valley. The route of the Blackstone Canal runs for three miles through South Grafton. Much of the original canal trench and towpath is remarkably intact and includes visible, watered sections at State Route 122 A at the former Fisherville Mill site, currently proposed as a mixed use development. Studies completed by the Heritage Corridor and the Worcester Historical Museum conclude that some of the best preserved sections of the historic canal trench and towpath are in Grafton. There is a master plan currently proposed to rewater sections of the Blackstone Canal trench in South Grafton by diverting water from Fisherville Pond, the impoundment created just to the north of the Fisherville site. Rewatering the Blackstone Canal would create an important heritage tourism amenity. Ongoing archeological studies are expected to confirm the existence of largely intact remains of Canal Lock 30 on the Fisherville Mill site, which would make this the closest canal lock site to a state numbered highway in the Blackstone Valley corridor. The Heritage Homecoming Ecumenical Breakfast honors the Reverend William Blackstone (1595-1675) the first European settler of the Blackstone River Valley. Blackstone Valley Heritage Homecoming is an early Autumn celebration now in its 21st season held in the eleven Massachusetts communities of the Blackstone River Valley. The nine day, two weekend heritage tourism celebration features harvest festivals, historical tours, farming attractions and cultural events. Tickets to the ecumenical breakfast are $6.00 per person and can be reserved by calling Blackstone Valley Heritage Homecoming Chairman Spaulding Aldrich at 508-234-5043. A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door on the day of the event. The breakfast is sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Heritage Homecoming Committee with the generous support of National Grid. Blackstone Valley Heritage Homecoming 2006 will be held over two consecutive weekends, September 23rd to 24th and September 30th to October 1st. Heritage Homecoming celebrates the historic Blackstone River Valley communities of Massachusetts and features specially designated tourism and cultural events.