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Date: 9/28/2023
GRANVILLE — The 40th annual Granville Harvest Fair takes place on Oct. 7, 8 and 9. After a two-year hiatus due to the restrictions of COVID-19, this three-day festival made its return last year, breaking attendance records.
This year, vendors and artisans will be located at the Town Green, Noble & Cooley Center for Historic Preservation Drum Shop Museum, Village School, the Granville Public Library, the Federated Church, Village School and Cooley & Co. The fair will feature crafts, food, music, books and demonstrations. Food vendors include Elm Street Butcher Block, Vlad’s Fired Pizza, Hardwick Winery and Babbetts Cupcakes. Juggernaut Glassblowing, Jeff’s Chainsaw Art, Rich Bianchi Woodworking, Lynette Konig Loom Weaving and Annie Paye Scrollsaw Art are some of the demonstrators participating at the fair.
Cooley Buy, owner of Cooley & Co., said, “It’s a celebration of Granville, a community that people love to come to during the fall. This fair is the biggest event of the year and it’s our way to show our town and talents.”
The Harvest Fair returns every year over Columbus Day weekend. It began as the Granville Quilt Guild’s quilt show in 1981 and has evolved into a town-wide event. Putting it on takes the work of a coordinating committee and many volunteers and groups who host and pay for expenses, including the Granville Public Library, Granville Federated Church, Granville-Tolland Lions Club, Pioneer Valley Christian School, Granville Fire Department, NCCHP and Cooley & Co.
Former organizer Linda Blakesley said, “There are many aspects to running the fair. After I stopped organizing the fair, each organization now takes a part of this job. We need many more volunteers to help make this three-day weekend the success it has always been.”
She continued, “I have always enjoyed taking part in this fair. Seeing the crafters along with the vendors each year is probably my favorite part, the food is delicious, and who doesn’t enjoy the Lions Club choice of music. Everyone seems to be in a festive mood, and all the old friends who come back to town to enjoy the flavor of Granville.”
In addition, the Granville Ladies will have their homemade apple crisp and blueberry turnovers on sale at the Federated Church. Also at the church, Mountain Orchard, one of the orchards in town, will have a booth with different apples for purchase, and the church will have a booth selling maple cotton candy, flavored with maple sugar donated from Maple Corner Farm in town.
“We’re a nice community that helps each other,” said Bobbi O’Connell, head trustee at the church. “This fair is our major fundraiser for our small church, so that’s very important, but on top of that we just love being a part of the community. It’s a very loving neighborhood community and people really try to help each other and support each other.”
Karen J. Carpenter, one of the coordinators for the Town Green attractions, added, “We want to keep the traditions of Granville, and the Harvest Fair is one of them. We love our town and we look forward to this fair every year.”
Harvest fair hours are Saturday and Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Free shuttle buses will take fairgoers from parking areas to the various fair attractions spread out around town. For more information, email Karen A. Carpenter, also a Town Green coordinator, at Kcarp47@comcast.net.