The aroma of fresh cut french fries by the Rapid’s Bar and Grill filled the air at the Huntington Fall Fest. (Photo by Amy Porter)
HUNTINGTON – The Huntington Fall Festival on the town commons had picture-perfect fall weather this past weekend, with vendors and activities on the green and in Stanton Hall.
Now in its ninth year, the crafts, music, food and fun fest continues to attract new exhibitors as well as returning vendors to celebrate the harvest and show off their wares.
One of the new exhibitors was Kelly Dube of Westfield with Flowers by Kelly, her arrangements of paper flowers are made from card stock and crepe paper. Dube said this was her first craft fair ever, which she signed onto after being encouraged by friends and family to share her gifts with a wider audience.
Kelly Dube of Westfield showed her paper-made Flowers by Kelly at her first crafts fair ever. (Photo by Amy Porter)
John Garvey of the Chester Historical Society was selling raffle tickets for a homemade quilt to benefit the Chester History Museum. The new museum is in the old Methodist church on Route 20 in Chester. The money is being raised to install a bathroom in the church. Garvey said they have almost raised sufficient funds.
On Sunday, Patrick Kennedy’s band Harvest Moon performed classic rock and roll songs. Always the educator, Kennedy also encouraged visitors to stop in at the Gateway Class of 2022 booth to buy some baked goods from them. “They’re the future,” he said from the mic.
Also filling the air was the smell of fresh cut French fries made by Rapid’s Bar and Grill.
Gateway Regional’s Class of 2022 raised money through a bank sale. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Janine Lapointe and her husband Paul Lapointe run the Windy Pines Maple Products booth, and are a part of the Huntington Fall Festival Committee. The Lapointes started the festival themselves after returning from Granville’s a decade ago. Both are business owners in town – Janine owns Simply You hair salon (doing business as Main Street Styles & Spa), Paul owns Down to Earth Excavating.
“My husband and I first started it to give back to the town,” Janine Lapointe said.
For the first couple of years, the Lapointes did everything themselves. Most of the tents for the vendors are theirs, and they grow the pumpkins for the pumpkin painting, one of the activities for children along with a petting zoo, which featured goats and a Shetland pony this year.
Proceeds from the vendor booths and donations are used to award two scholarships to Smith Vocational School agricultural graduates from Huntington who plan to continue their education.
“That was our intention when we started it,” Janine said.
