ASHFIELD — Reunions and reconnection were in store over the weekend as hundreds of residents and visitors alike enjoyed beloved traditions at the Ashfield Fall Festival.
The festival has been a staple in town since 1970, with money raised from the event going toward the Ashfield Citizens Scholarship & Community Fund. For the first time in the event’s history, though, part of Main Street was closed, allowing pedestrians to more safely cross the street and making the event more enjoyable, said Fire Chief Kyle Walker.
“It’s been fantastic, we’ve been getting a lot of good feedback on the road closure,” Walker said on Saturday. “It’s made this event really what it should be, [it’s] so much safer. It takes a fair amount of stress off of the Fire Department and the Police Department, it makes it so we can concentrate on a lot of the items that we should be focusing on, so we’re really glad this is working out well.”
Walker said it’s nice to see everyone having a good time. A large crowd of people moseyed over to the Ashfield Town Common at around noon, where the Pumpkin Games were taking place. The Pumpkin Games included challenges such as pumpkin bowling, pumpkin hockey and pumpkin musical chairs.
Ayla Dunn-Coleman, 9, of Northampton, won the pumpkin musical chairs for the second consecutive year, though Pumpkin Games emcee Allen Gabriel said the games are designed for children to have fun, and all participants earn a prize at the end.
Gabriel has been the emcee of the Pumpkin Games for three years and said he doesn’t envision himself stopping anytime soon.
“I grew up in town. I’ve been playing the Pumpkin Games literally as long as I can remember,” Gabriel said. “The previous emcee, Chris Rawlings, retired and I was asked [to emcee], and it was the greatest honor of my life to be asked. I couldn’t possibly say no.
“Golly … I just remember doing it myself and the fun of it,” Gabriel said on what makes the Pumpkin Games so popular. “It’s fun. There’s no real point to winning or losing, it’s just a great time to watch the kids play. It makes me so happy. … I think I’m stuck with this, and I’m happy about that.”
For both children and adults, a plethora of carnival-like games were available, all run by children ages 18 and under. One of these games was the pirate ring toss, with 10-year-old Ezra Taylor acting as the mascot for the game. Going by the nickname “Blue Beard” for the weekend, he said that the ring toss had been a hit.
“[It’s been] incredible, tons of sales,” Ezra said. “It seems to be so popular. It’s really fun to work this.”
The Ashfield Fall Festival offers a return to tradition for those who have left town, either having moved away or went off to college.
Rachel Pease, 21, currently attends Syracuse University, but grew up in town and has fond memories of the festival. Saying that she has been coming to the festival all her life, she remembers participating in the Pumpkin Games and children’s games. This year, Pease was one of the operators of the information booth, which also solicits donations to the Ashfield Citizens Scholarship & Community Fund.
“My favorite part of the fall fest is probably all of the maple assortments,” Pease said. “As a kid I liked playing the games, I liked being a part of the games, like running your own booth. Now in my adult years, I don’t play as many games as I used to.”
Inside the information booth was Natasha Olanyk, a former recipient of the Ashfield Citizens Scholarship & Community Fund. What brings people back, she said, is the tradition and community togetherness.
“I grew up in Ashfield, and this is my first time in the information booth, which is hilarious. Most of us who man the booth are recipients of the scholarship fund,” Olanyk said. “It’s fun to see people, and especially being from town, I’m seeing a lot of familiar faces and it’s quite nice. … A lot of things feel the same, which is kind of nice.”
Inside Town Hall, an artisans market was available, selling jewelry, clothing and other hand-crafted creations. Evan Barth, a resident of Ashfield and a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, was helping his wife with her booth, which sold hand-stitched sweaters and other ornaments. For him, the Ashfield Fall Festival is a way to see family members who have moved out of town.
“This is definitely one of the best ones yet,” Barth said. “I’m looking forward to spending some time with my family from out of town. My brother-in-law and my father-in-law are visiting, here to see the fall fest. … My niece has been playing games, she’s been loving it, winning lots of candy.
“It’s been great,” Barth said of the Ashfield Fall Festival.
