WHATELY — Each year, Whately Historical Society’s Fall Festival brings the community together to celebrate the changing season and taste the local flavor. This year’s event will be held Sunday at the Center School from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, and will feature local artisans such as West Whately resident and potter Nancy Talanian.
“It parallels our Memorial Day parade,” said Adelia Bardwell, historic society president. “It’s a small festival for a small town, but brings out a few hundred people, and for some that’s the only time they’ll see each other.”
A flier for the event advertises local “music by the MilkBottle,” as well as “traditional crafts and food products” and “mums and harvest products.”
Talanian said that since 2009, the festival has been a good and profitable opportunity to promote her product and meet the community.
“People who come have been very supportive and very interested,” she said Tuesday, while sitting inside the Historical Society’s museum in front of high shelving weighed down by historic, large clay pots. “I’ve had a lot of customers and they know me since I live in town.”
In addition to starting a few nonprofit organizations, including the Bill of Rights Defense Committee in Northampton, Talanian, a writer who studied English at Ohio Wesleyan University, has been making pottery for more than 20 years. In the past, she has also been a member of the Leverett artisan cooperative Mudpie Potters.
“I’ve always loved handmade pottery, and decided I should try it for myself — I was hooked,” she said. “My pots are very traditional. I make pots that people will enjoy using every day.”
Also at the festival, artist George Reynolds will display paper marbling, Wayne and Scott Hutkowski from Long Plain Farm will sell fresh produce, Anne Barker from Quonquont Farm will have apples, and Harlan Bean from Bean’s Maple Distillery will be selling maple syrup.
There will also be honey products from beekeeper Ewon Mikolajczuk.
As for food sold at the festival, Bardwell said there will be baked goods, as well as hot dogs, hamburgers, beverages and free ice cream.
While the festival, which Bardwell said has been held annually for more than 25 years, is intended to promote local agriculture, artisans and businesses, Bardwell also said it’s a chance for the Historical Society to connect with community members in an effort to preserve the past.
“A lot of our old houses have decayed and fallen apart,” Bardwell said. “So we’ve put out a plea for people to bring old pictures. We want to get as much preserved as possible.”
According to Bardwell, the Historical Society will be collecting historic artifacts, such as pictures, at the festival to be preserved in the society’s archives.
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo