Fall Foliage Festival organizers hoping for clear skies
By Michael Marciano – Editor
October, 02, 2009
WINSTED — The final push to make Winsted’s annual Fall Foliage Festival a reality took place this week, with organizers crossing their fingers in hopes that the weather will cooperate this Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Helen Bunnell, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Main Street, host of the festival, said the final week of preparations has been one of the busiest, with many vendors seeking last-minute accommodations.
“We’ve got a lot of new vendors participating from area towns,” Bunnell said. “They really want to come up and be a part of what’s going on here in Winsted. We’ve been very busy the past few days.”
But if the Winsted area is deluged with rain, this year’s festival will be canceled and not rescheduled. Bunnell said Friends of Main Street will be watching the weather forecasts closely between now and Saturday morning, deciding early Saturday whether to continue with the event or not.
“We will have a message on our machine telling people if the festival is canceled,” she said.
Barring that, local and regional vendors will arrive early to set up booths on the north side of Main Street between Case Avenue and Union Street for the Fall Foliage Festival. Clothing, jewelry, books, furniture, collectibles and lots of food will be for sale throughout the downtown area.
The north side of the street will be closed to traffic, but the south lane will be converted into a two-lane road, allowing vehicles through from both ends of town. West of Union Street, the annual Elks Car Show will take place, with antiques, hot rods, classics and sports models on display.
“I don’t care what the weather forecast says. It’s going to be nice out Saturday,” said Heather Papp, chairman of the committee running the car show.
Papp said registration for the car show will begin at 9 a.m. at the corner of Main and Union streets. Union Street’s one-way direction will be reversed to allow cars to gain access to the main road. The Elks will also run a food booth near the registration table.
Members of the Elks Lodge also invite fairgoers to visit their 75 High St. building at the top of Union Street, where a tag sale and open house will be held throughout the day. “We have tons of stuff for sale and the public is invited to come in and have a refreshment,” Papp said.
Scattered throughout the downtown area will be street performers and live musicians. Winsted residents can also expect to see candidates in this year’s municipal election stumping on Main Street.
“The Highland Lake Watershed Association is celebrating its 50th anniversary,” Bunnell added. “Anyone interested in the history of Highland Lake should come to the festival and see their display.”
The watershed association will bring antique boats and memorabilia from the lake’s activities over the years.
“The history of Highland Lake is truly unique and intimately linked to the richness of our community,” said association President Richard Labich. “We want all of our residents and visitors to Winsted to understand everything Highland Lake is and has to offer to everyone. We also want the public to appreciate what a relatively delicate resource any inland water is and how best to preserve it for the generations to follow us.”
Highland Lake began as a natural body of water created by the last ice age and was expanded in the mid-1800s with the creation of what is now known as First Bay as area manufacturers sought water power for their successful factories and mills. More recently, the lake has been the home of both winter and summer sporting events, boating, waterskiing and fishing.
Anyone interested in learning more about the Highland Lake display may call Jack or Marlene Rouleau at 860-738-0721.
The Fall Foliage Festival will also include a performance and workshop with Scott Kessel of Connecticut-based Recycled Rhythms, which gives participants the knowledge to create musical instruments out of recycled materials. The program is expected to be especially fun for young musicians.
Anyone interested in setting up a booth or volunteering at the Fall Foliage Festival may call Friends of Main Street at 860-738-3351. For information on the Elks Car Show, call the Winsted Elks Lodge at 860-379-8045. Information is also available online at friendsofmainstreet.org.
After the Fall Foliage Festival, New Hartford’s annual Cartober Fest will be the following day, Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Collinsville Antiques Company building on Route 44. The annual Riverton Fair on the Riverton Fairgrounds has been scheduled for the following weekend, Friday through Sunday, Oct. 9 to 11.
© Copyright 2009 by TCExtra.com
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