NEPM Asparagus Festival returns to Hadley

Date: 5/31/2022

HADLEY – The New England Public Media (NEPM) Asparagus Festival is slated to make a return after a two-year hiatus at the Hadley Town Common on June 4 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The free festival caters to all ages, with PBS characters Curious George and Nature Cat available for a meet-and-greet earlier in the day while 21 plus participants can visit the Beers and Spears tent from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for tasting opportunities from White Lion Brewing, Abandoned Building Brewery, New City Brewery, Amherst Brewing, Building 8 and other local breweries and cider makers.

“What’s unique about it is it’s this combination of a community event and a festival,” said NEPM’s Director of Audience Engagement and Events Marie Waechter. “The main part of the festival with the displays and the market runs from 10 [a.m.] to 3 [p.m.], and then after 3 [p.m.] all the food trucks are still there, the beer and drinks tent is still there and then we’ve scheduled the stage. It’s really a fun day because you can come in the morning and experience the market, displays, games, activities, meet Curious George and Nature Cat, but after the market is done and that half of the day is over you can relax and listen to great music and have great food and great drinks.”

Waechter said NEPM first thought of the festival 10 years ago due to the significance of asparagus to the region and its timely harvest being the first vegetable in spring. She said it’s been important to the region for over 150 years but also simply provides a good excuse to come together and kick off summer festivities.

“This would’ve been our 10th anniversary but [due to] COVID[-19], it’s our eighth. This is our first large-scale public event since 2019, since then we’ve created NEPM, radio and T.V. sides came together, so this is a chance for us to welcome the community to celebrate with us,” Waechter said. “That’s really the message this year coming out of COVID[-19]. It’s a good excuse to celebrate, it’s a good excuse to have fun, and it’s a good mix between community and agriculture and being local.”

The festival provides opportunities for the youth to reconnect and learn about the history of many Pioneer Valley natives and the heritage of agriculture in Western Mass. In addition to an assortment of farming-related games, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s Jurassic Roadshow will teach kids about the geologic history of the region and stagecoach rides to the nearby Hadley Farm Museum will be available.

Visitors can purchase food and refreshments from Holyoke Hummus Company, Esselon Café, the Baby Berk food truck, Snappy Dog, Vibesman’s Jerk Shack, Deans Beans, Crooked Stick Pop, Maple Valley Creamery, Jaju Pierogi, Sun Kim Bop and Cocina Lupita. There will be crafts, local food products and agricultural vendors at the Farmers & Makers Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

At 12:30 p.m., the Chefs’ Spearit Lunch features a succession of courses prepared by some of the best local chefs. Each course will be paired with wines and libations from Provisions. Tickets are $75 each and may be purchased at nepm.org/asparagus.

“[Asparagus has] been integral to the Pioneer Valley and all over Western Mass., but especially the Pioneer Valley; we have the best soil in the world in the Connecticut River Valley,” Waechter said. “Agriculture has always been central to our identity and our economy and our culture along with everything else. This crop has a long history, its fame is all over the world, but by using this crop we can tap into all of the issues around agriculture and heritage.”