What's Happening October 27, 28, 29, 2017

“What’s Happening”

October 27, 28, 29, 2017

29, Sunday – Smith’s Country CheeseFest, 11:00-5:00 - A family-friendly event with food trucks, drinks, music, fun, and lots of CHEESE!! Let’s go get this awesome community together for a fabulous fall festival! Don’t worry; you can watch the Patriots game live streaming with our HERD this Sunday at CheeseFest 2.0. 20 Otter River Rd., Winchendon MA. For more information visit www.smithscountrycheese.com

27, Friday – Halloween Party at the Gardner Ale House – 9:00 p.m. -midnight - Special scary cocktails, cash prizes, live music with Our Buddy Karl, free buffet, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller on the big screen at midnight! 74 Parker St., Gardner MA. For more information visit www.gardnerale.com.

27, 28, 29 – Friday, Saturday, Sunday – The Sleepy Hollow Experience at Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Rd., Sturbridge MA – At the Sleepy Hollow Experience, guests will be ghoulishly guided through the Village’s countryside where they will encounter Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones and quite possibly the Headless Horseman. Please note that each outdoor performance is approximately 1.5 hours long and requires standing and walking. Performances are held rain or shine. If the evening is a rainout, a modified version of the experience will take place in the Stephen M. Brewer Theater. For tickets and more information visit www.osv.org

28, Saturday – Fall Fest on the Common, Worcester, 12:00-3:00 p.m. Join hundreds of festival goers for the city of Worcester's Fall Fest on Worcester Common, in front of City Hall. Located at 455 Main Street, the park will be full with crafters selling their finest goods and community vendors to get you involved in what ever it is that sparks your interest. Enjoy an afternoon full of performances, animals, crafters, games, and treats for everyone. Families and children are encouraged to dress-up in costume. Admission is free. For more information visit www.worcesterma.gov

29, Sunday – Keene Pumpkin Festival, 1:00-7:00, Main St., Keene NH – Join us for Pumpkin Festival 2017. Enjoy a spectacular display of carved jack-o-lanterns, as well as family-friendly activities including a costume parades, live entertainment, dance performances, pumpkin bowling, and other innovative pumpkin games. Admission is free and shuttled parking will be available. For more information visit www.pumpkinfestival.org.

28, 29, Saturday and Sunday – Halloween at the Maze, Lanni Orchards, 10:00-noon, 10 & under can trick or treat (and of course wear their costume) through the maze from 10 am to noon on Saturday & Sunday. PYO Apples & Pumpkins, hayrides, play land, apple cider hot or cold, and warm apple dumplings!  Yummy! ​Stop by and have some local food! Also, pick your own grapes this weekend Saturday and Sunday. 294 Chase Rd., Lunenburg MA. For more information visit www.lanniorchards.com

27, 28, and 29, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – The Bull Run Restaurant presents: The Yardbirds on Friday, Matt Schofield Band on Saturday, and The Outlaws on Sunday. For tickets and more information visit www.bullrunrestaurant.com

What's Happening October 20, 21, 22, 2017

“What’s Happening”

October 20, 21, 22, 2017

20, Friday - The Bull Run presents, Comics & Cocktails 2 - Cameron’s Crusaders invites you to join us for a night of laughs with “Comics for a Cure”, featuring Jerry Caruso, Krista Brennan & Thomas Mitchell. Join us for Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvers at 6:30 P.M. before the show to look over the auction items and fill in your bids.  $35 ticket includes Hors d’oeuvers, Silent Auction & Cash bar. To learn more visit www.bullrunrestaurant.com. To learn more about Cameron’s Crusaders visit cameronscrusaders.org.  

20, Friday – Monadnock Music presents, Stargazing with Harp, performed by harpist Maria Rindenello Parker, 6:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Pines, 10 Hale Hill Rd., Rindge NH – Program to include Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten, Claude Debussy, Ottorino Respighi, and Carlos Salzedo. Tickets are $20.00 in advance or $25.00 at the door. Stargazing to follow at 7:30 p.m. with telescopes and guidance from the New Hampshire Astronomical Society. For more information visit www.monadnockmusic.org.

21, Saturday – 3^rd Annual Cracker Festival, 10 Village Square, Westminster – 10:00-5:00 p.m. Come join us for the 3rd Annual Westminster Cracker Festival this October. For the past two years thousands of people have come out for a community celebration held in the village center of downtown Westminster for a great time.  This year will be even better!  So, come join us and eat some crackers! Event includes a 5K race, chowder and chili competition, live music, local crafts, and cracker character competition. For more information visit www.crackerfestival.com

21, Saturday – Monadnock Pumpkin Festival at the Cheshire Fairgrounds, 247 Monadnock Highway, Swanzey NH – 12:00-8:00 p.m. The festival will include huge pumpkin displays, a costume parade, a baking contest, children’s activity tent, Fright Fest, Craft fair artisans, amusement rides, food vendors, face painting, pony rides, and fireworks! For more information visit www.monadnockpumpkinfestival.org

21, 22, Saturday and Sunday, - OktoberFest at Wachusett Mountain, Sat. 10-4, Sunday, 10-3, - Taking the best from AppleFest, we've expanded the calendar to one more event by pulling out the OktoberFest theme! Enjoy German food, music, traditional dancing, beer, craft vendors, a farmers' market, live shows, contests and more! LIVE MUSIC! Stein Hoisting Contest, Keg Tossing Contest, and Pie Eating Contest. For tickets and more information visit www.wachusett.com

21, 22, Saturday and Sunday – Lanni Orchards Pumpkin Festival, 294 Chase Rd., Lunenburg - 8:00-6:00 p.m. PYO apples and pumpkins, Halloween and fall themes, play land, games, hay rides, paint your own pumpkins, hot or cold cider, warm apple crisp, corn maze, and so much more! For more information call 978-582-6246 or visit www.lanniorchards.com

21, Saturday – The Bull Run presents James Maddock, The best singer-songwriters serve the song. The songwriter’s songwriter, James Maddock, who has earned the respect of masterful writers such as Bruce Springsteen and Willie Nile, has built his acclaimed legacy on humbly honoring purity of expression. Many albums in his beloved catalog are elegantly spare, conveying his songs and sentiments in the most direct possible way. But for his latest album, "The Green," the songs guided him into recording the most eclectic, exhilaratingly soulful and imaginatively produced album in his career. “This is my best album. It’s an upbeat record with really strong songs and a lot of surprises,” the British transplant reveals. “It all happened really naturally. I just listened to where the songs where going and allowed myself the time to give each one a proper sonic home.” For tickets and more information visit www.bullrunrestaurant.com

22, Sunday – The Bull Run presents Iris Dement, Iris DeMent was inspired to write her first song "Our Town" while driving through a boarded-up Midwest town at the age of 25. "Our Town" was played during the closing scene for the final episode of CBS’s television series Northern Exposure. For tickets and more information visit www.bullrunrestaurant.com

What's Happening October 11-15, 2017

“What’s Happening”

October 11-15, 2017

11, Wednesday - River Street Theatre presents, Zak Trojano, 7:30-9:00 p.m., 6 River St., Jaffrey NH. Zak is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, a finger- style guitar player, a fly-fisherman, and a beer drinker. He watches more than he talks, the guy at the end of the bar nursing a drink while the afternoon light angles in, letting the conversation pile up around him like snowfall. He grew up in New Hampshire, outside of town in a cabin built by his parents. His father was a drummer who held down a regular country gig, and nights after work he would loosen his tie and show his son the finer points of Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones. In New Hampshire they drove around in trucks, and Prine and Dylan cassettes showed up in most of those trucks. Zak made Eagle Scout, got his knots down. Then it was college and out, wandering the country from the desert Southwest to Great Plains until he ran out of money, washing windows to work up the bus fare home. After a while it seemed like he ought to write some songs, and he did: heavy songs with a light touch; an AM radio throwback voice and an intricate finger-style technique framed by a drummer’s rhythm and sharpened by years of immersion in the work of players as various as John Fahey, Merle Travis, and Chet Atkins. In over a decade writing, recording, and performing music professionally - sharing studios and stages with his band Rusty Belle, or supporting touring acts like Chris Smither, Kris Delmhorst, Jeffrey Foucault, and Peter Mulvey - Zak Trojano has evolved his own thing: a warm baritone paired with an old Martin guitar, floating above spare lines of cello and lap steel, horns and brushes, with a deceptively simple lyricism that on repeated listening shows that the fellow at the end of the bar doesn’t say much, but he’s worth hearing. Tickets: $12.00. For more information visit www.riverst.org.

12 - 15, - Thursday-Sunday, Brattleboro VT Literary Festival 2017 – The festival is a four-day celebration of those who read books, those who write books, and of the books themselves. Located in downtown Brattleboro, the Festival includes readings, panel discussions, and special events, feature emerging and established authors. All events are free and open to the public. www.brattleboroliteraryfestival.org.

13, 14, 15, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, - Theatre at the Mount presents, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike - In this hilarious comedy, Vanya and his adopted sister, Sonia, live a quiet life in the Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up, while their sister Masha travels the world as a movie star. Just as their cleaning woman issues a warning about terrible events in their future, Masha returns for an unannounced visit with her 20-something boy-toy Spike in tow. And so begins this unforgettable family reunion filled with rivalry, regret, and racket. Winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play!  Performances: 13, 14 at 8 p.m.; October 15 at 2:00 p.m., for tickets and more information visit the box-office@mwcc.mass.edu.

14, 15, Saturday and Sunday, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Autumn Spirits, Weekend 3, 10am–4pm, Bring the kids in costumes and explore our Fairy House trail. Adults can enjoy brews and spirits while learning about the connections between plants and brewing as we revel in the witching hour soon to come. Enjoy food trucks – Home Grown on Saturday, October 14 and Say Cheese on Sunday, October 15. Kids of all ages are encouraged to wear woodland fairy or animal costumes. For the full schedule and more information visit. www.towerhillbg.org.

14, 15 – Saturday and Sunday, 34^th Annual AppleFest at Wachusett Mountain, 10:00-5:00 p.m. Our most popular fall festival, AppleFest features over 150 Craft Fair & Farmers' Market Booths, Family Entertainment, Scenic Foliage Skyrides to the Summit, Mountainside Barbecue, Pony Rides, Clowns, Climbing Wall, Jugglers & Magicians for the Kids. Applefest also features a Celtic Celebration complete with authentic Celtic music, cuisine, a multitude of tasty beers in the Beer Garden and LIVE music. For tickets and more information visit wachusett.com.

14, 15, Saturday and Sunday, - Apple Days at Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge MA, Celebrate the harvest and the beautiful New England autumn at the peak of fall color. Join our costumed interpreters as they harvest apples, potatoes, carrots, and beets. They will also conduct garden and root cellar tours and discuss food preparation, thresh and winnow grain, and shell corn and beans. Learn how food makes its way from the farm to the dining room table. Meet our oxen and see multiple teams demonstrate plowing and field preparation. Learn more about heritage breed animals and talk with breeders. Throughout the day, our interpreters will be cooking and preserving apples and operating the ox-powered Cider Mill. Cost: Adults $28.00; Seniors (55 and over) $26.00; College Student (with valid college ID) $14; Youths (4-17) $14.00; Children age 3 and under Admitted Free. www.osv.org.

13, 14, Friday and Saturday, The Bull Run Restaurant presents, Antje Duvekot on Friday and New England on Saturday. For tickets and more information visit: bullrunrestaurant.com.

14, Saturday – RiverFire on the Androscoggin River in Berlin NH, 2:00-9:00 p.m., - Just as the nights are getting colder in New England, the City of Berlin will be warming things up with one of the best fall festivals around—RiverFire! Come to “the city that trees built” to catch a full day of fun, ending with some dramatic fires on the river. RiverFire burns bigger and brighter every year, and this year there are some fun new activities for everyone. The gates of the Service Credit Union Heritage Park, 942 Main Street, Berlin, NH will open to activities and vendors for visitors of ALL ages. Admission to the park is FREE.  For more information, call 603-752-6060 or find RiverFire Berlin, NH on Facebook. Or visit: www.androscogginvalleychamber.com/riverfire-festival

What''s Happening October 5, 6,7, 8, 2017

Theatre at the Mount

“What’s Happening”

October 6,7, 8, 9

5, Thursday – Cannoli Festival in Downtown Leominster, 5-9 p.m., If you love cannolis (and who doesn't?!), join the crowd on the common for an evening music, fun, and cannoli from variety of local bakeries. 

5-9, Thursday to Monday, Columbus Day Ski and Snowboard Swap and Sale at Wachusett Mountain - Our annual equipment extravaganza! Bring in your used equipment to sell for cash or Wachusett Credit, then buy new equipment with the cash or credit you just earned! This is the perfect chance to upgrade your gear for the coming winter. No equipment to sell? That's OK too, we bring in local retailers equipment and gear as well so there are great deals for everyone whether you're looking for new or used items! Want a little more than just a shopping trip? Join us for a Scenic Summit SkyRide and grab lunch at our Mountainside BBQ! For more information visit www.wachusett.com.

5, 6, 7, 8, – The Bull Run Restaurant presents: The Garcia Project on October 5; Maria Muldaur and her Bluesiana Band on October 6; Words Change Everything poetry night on October 7; and Blue Coupe on October 8. For tickets and more information visit bullrunrestaurant.com

6, Friday - Full Moon Canoeing at Nashoba Paddler, Set out by canoe at dusk and as darkness approaches, watch the moon rise, being on the lookout for owls, beaver, bats, and other night life. After some delicious refreshments, we'll return following the moon's ribbon of light. 6:00-9:00 p.m.  Trip difficulty: Easy, flat-water, 5 miles roundtrip. Cost: $40 pp-canoes only. Refreshments included. REGISTRATION REQUIRED Visit www.nashobapadder.com

6, 7, Theatre at the Mount presents, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike - In this hilarious comedy, Vanya and his adopted sister, Sonia, live a quiet life in the Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up, while their sister Masha travels the world as a movie star. Just as their cleaning woman issues a warning about terrible events in their future, Masha returns for an unannounced visit with her 20-something boy-toy Spike in tow. And so begins this unforgettable family reunion filled with rivalry, regret, and racket. Winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play!  Performances: October 6, 7, 13, 14 at 8PM; October 15 at 2PM for tickets and more information visit the box-office@mwcc.mass.edu.

7, 8 Saturday and Sunday – Pumpkin Festival and weigh-in at Red Apple Farm - The Phillipston Congregational Church presents this popular regional event featuring the state’s oldest pumpkin-weighing contest. See huge vegetables tip the scales, with awards and bragging rights to local farmers and gardeners for their pumpkin-growing prowess.

Also enjoy food, book sale, hayrides, and more.  455 Highland Ave., Phillipston MA, www.redapplefarm.com

7, 8, 9, Columbus Day Apple Festival at Lanni Orchards, 294 Chase Rd., Lunenburg MA www.lanniorchrds.com

7, Saturday, Sholan Farms Harvest Celebration Weekend, 10:00-4:00, 1125 Pleasant St., Leominster MA - Enjoy live entertainment, wagon rides, food trucks, interactive children's events, and much more at this family fun festival. www.sholanfarms.org.

7, Saturday - National Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at Fitchburg Art Museum, 1:00-3:00 p.m. 185 Elm St., Fitchburg MA -Join us to celebrate Latino cultures with food, music, art, and a keynote address about the relationship between Columbus Day and Latinos in the Americas today. Enjoy the acoustic music of Lucelia DeJesus of Worcester. Children and adults can make a portrait of a Latino hero with artist Nayda Cuevas. Organized by the Latino Heritage Month Coalition. Free and open to everyone! www.fitchburgartmuseum.org.

7, Saturday – The Stratton Players present, The Curious Savage, 2:00 p.m. at Applewild’s Center for Performing Arts, 98 Prospect St., Fitchburg MA - Comedy about an elderly, rich woman who wants to donate money and whose stepchildren want to keep it. For reservations please email: reservations@strattonplayers.com or call 978-345-6066.

7, Saturday – Beavers by Canoe Family Program – Wachusett Meadown Wildlife Sanctuary, 3:00-5:00 p.m. 113 Goodnow Rd., Princeton MA - Beavers are busy this time of year, as they prep lodges and dams for the winter and begin to cache food. Look for evidence of their handiwork, learn some beaver ecology, and see if you can spot them on the pond! Register at massaudubon.org/wachusettmeadow or by calling 978-464-2712.

7, 8, 9, - Saturday, Sunday, Monday – Annual Open Studio Art Tour-  Monadnock Art presents the Art Tour each October during the peak of the colorful foliage season in southwestern New Hampshire. The Tour is self-directed, and it's free for the interested public. Art lovers from all over New England, and beyond, enjoy touring the beautiful countryside, following the distinctive Art Tour signs, and discovering the often tucked-away places where artists work. Studios are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The Tour travels through the towns surrounding the beloved Mount Monadnock: Chesham, Dublin, Hancock, Harrisville, Jaffrey, Marlborough, Peterborough, and Sharon. A remarkable range and diversity of the visual arts is represented through the work of the artists. Visitors tour the workplaces of painters and printmakers, potters and jewelers, sculptors, fiber artists, photographers, woodworkers, glass shapers, and more. Many artists offer work for sale, often specially priced for the Tour. For a look at a sampling of their work, please visit the Artists pages of this site.   www.monadnockart.org

7, 8, 9, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday – 23rd Annual Paradise City Art Show - Join us during the peak of Fall Foliage as almost 250 carefully curated artists and makers from every corner of America travel to Northampton for 3 days of astounding visual arts, eye popping design, scrumptious food, lively music and special events. For more information visit www.festivals.paradisecityarts.com.

8. Sunday, - Harvest Fest at Fruitlands Museum, 10:00-4:00 p.m., 102 Prospect Hill Rd. Harvard MA - Enjoy the abundance of the New England landscape at this celebration of the autumn harvest! Visit the farm animals, enjoy live music, get your face painted, create your very own farmer hat or shaker bonnet. All in the spirit of the season! Free with museum admission. For more information visit, www.fruitlands.thetrustees.org/events.

8, Sunday – Frederick Historic Piano Collection presents IgnacyGaydamovich on cello and Jiayan Sun on Piano. Program includes George Onslow - Sonata No. 3 for Cello and Piano in A Major and Franz Schubert - Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in a Minor D. 821. Ashburnham Community Church, 84 Main St., Ashburnham MA, 4:00 p.m., Admission is $10.00. Students and children are free. For more information visit www.frederickcollection.org. 

7, 8, 9 – Fall Festival Weekend at Tower Hill Botanic Garden - There’s nothing like autumn in New England, and there’s no better place than Tower Hill Botanic Garden to take in all the season has to offer. In addition to the panoramic view of Mt. Wachusett and the reservoir, the Garden displays hundreds of trees and shrubs known for their spectacular fall color. For more information visit towerhillbg.org

8, Saturday – 15^th Annual Heirloom Apple Day at Scott Farm, 9:00-5:00, 707 Kipling Rd., Dummerston VT - A celebration of heirloom apples - fresh, baked and squeezed! Visit the Apple Barn at 10, 12 or 2 for a free tasting of some of our 125 varieties of apples and listen to the enlightening history of these unique fruits as told by Orchardist, Zeke Goodband. Heirloom apples and heirloom cider with be on sale after the tastings. Whetstone Ciderwords of Marlboro VT offers samples of their hard ciders made primarily with Scott Farm apples, and Rigani Wood-fired Pizza of Brattleboro VT vends season sensations from their mobil oven. The Farm Markt and Pick Your Own will be open daily through Nov. 22. 707 Kipling Rd., Dummerston VT. For more information visit www.scottfarmvermont.com.

8, Sunday - Dummerston Apple Pie Festival, 9:30-12:30, Dummerston Congregational Church, Middle Rd., Dummerston, VT.  Southern Vermont’s Premier Apple Pie Festival!  Handmade Apple Pies baked with local apples by the members of the Dummerston Congregational Church and all of their friends in the community. Slices of pie will be for sale as well as whole pies, hot cider, Vermont cheese and hand-cranked ice cream.  Rain or shine under our festival tent.