Good morning and Welcome to Bobby’s World. Are you looking for fun family events this weekend in Franklin County? If so, you’ve come to the right place. It’s an exciting day today in Franklin County, as there are many local events happening this weekend that bring a lot of excitement to our area. In Turners Falls, today is the annual Great Falls Festival, also known as Pumpkinfest. Throughout the downtown area there will be live entertainment, tons of food, vendors, community groups available at tents, and pumpkins galore. Festivities will happen today from 2 to 9 p.m.
In Bernardston, today is the annual Scarecrow in the Park festival in Cushman Park, across from the fire station on Church Street. If you’re ambitious, you can easily make time for both. As in Turners Falls, the Bernardston festival will feature live music, lots of vendors, food, scarecrows, scarecrows and more scarecrows. Scarecrow in the Park is happening today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If you’re looking for apple-themed family fun, there are many orchards in the area such as Pine Hill Orchards in Colrain and Apex Orchards in Shelburne, among many others. On the way, Hager’s Farm Market in Shelburne will also have apple picking available this weekend. The roadside store will be serving up its signature homemade donuts and locally famous fried dough with maple cream from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and tomorrow (next weekend, too).
Fall foliage is at its peak here in Franklin County, and, if all else fails, a beautiful drive through the county is always a home run.
This week, I want to highlight a man who brings a lot of excitement to Franklin County with his wonderful smile, good ideas, vision and follow-through. Montague resident and Selectboard member Michael Nelson has added so much to our community as founder of the 10th annual Great Falls Festival, or Pumpkinfest, which brings tens of thousands of people to avenue A in Turners Falls on the 3rd Saturday of October each year.
Michael also started the annual Spring Parade, which takes place every April on the hill in Turners Falls, starting and ending at the Sheffield Elementary School. In addition, Michael also the current president of the Franklin County Fair, and has been in charge of running the parade, too, for a number of years.
We are very fortunate to have a wonderful community filled with many people who donate countless hours of their time. An exceptional example of one of those volunteers is Michael Nelson. Thank you, brother, for your dedication to making our community a better place to live.
Time is running out to collect donations for this year’s Thanksgiving fundraiser. We need all donations by Oct. 26 in order to order the food in time for Thanksgiving Day. You can sponsor as many families as you’d like. Sponsorship is $50 per family. Each family will receive the following: One 20 pound turkey; stuffing mix; potatoes; butternut squash; carrots; cranberry sauce; rolls; apple pie.
Checks can be made payable to “Bobby Campbell” and sent to P.O. Box 21, Bernardston, MA 01337. In the memo section, write “Thanksgiving dinner fundraiser 2019.”
To all those who’ve donated already, thanks for supporting our community and making a difference in the lives of our neighbors.
As a local personality for radio stations WHAI 98.3, Bear Country 95.3, WHMP 99.3 and Bobby C’s DJ Service for the past 36 years, Bobby C. Campbell has been connected to the community for a very long time. If you have an event that needs promotion or an idea for a future column, e-mail him at bobbyleslie25@gmail.com.