Holiday Area: Fall Festival

Events and Attractions

The festival includes quintessential fair activities like a queen contest and parades. The Fall Festival Queen Contest crowns a woman ages 16 to 21, who also wins a scholarship to continue her education. The Kids Parade, Religious & Decorated Float parade and the local Super Starz Dance Troupe provide live and local entertainment. Each year, the festival also sets up a carnival with rides such as a carousel, a giant slide and a Ferris wheel, as well as contests for kids and adults. Also on hand is a country store that sells handcrafted items from local artisans, including baked goods, crocheted rugs, jewelry and candles.

Exhibits

The festival includes traditional and new exhibits. The livestock show stars cattle that are awarded first- through fourth-place honors in breed, steer, female and bull categories. Vehicle enthusiasts can show off their tractors in a cruise or their motorcycles and classic cars in a showcase. In 2013, the festival included the Vietnam Traveling Wall's first visit to Concordia and a "Through the Eyes" combat photography exhibit. The wall is a three-fifths-size replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

German-Inspired Features

Sponsored by the Lions Club, Heidelberg Gardens is an outdoor restaurant and beer garden serving German specialties. With beer on tap along with traditional food like bratwurst, sauerkraut and peppered beef dinners, the venue also includes live German music for dancing during festival afternoons and evenings. Further, the Fünf K Laufen, meaning "5K Run" in German, benefits Concordia's local schools. The 5K Run/Walk requires a registration fee that can be paid early or on the day of the race.

Concordia

After your time at the festival, there are other activities, dining and lodging available in Concordia. Sponsored by the Concordia Area Heritage Society, the Concordia Area Museum displays historical farm and household wares, including spinning wheels, along with military gear and equipment from local businesses. If you're planning on staying the night, the town is home to national chain hotels like Travelodge and Days Inn and offers dining at the China Dragon and ice cream at the Cree-Mee Freeze.

Ashfield, Massachusetts, is an exceptionally vibrant rural village in the eastern foothills of the Berkshires. Streets lined with beautiful, historic homes lead to the quaint center of activity on Main Street where residents congregate regularly for lively talk and town news exchange: the charmingly unpretentious Elmer's Store. The not-so-run-of-the-mill nature of Ashfield's annual fall festival stems surely from the extraordinary community involvement once described by “The New York Times” reporter Lisa A. Phillips. This is no sleepy hamlet. Give its fall festival a spot at the top of your to-do list.

Festival for the Common Good

Given the strong spirit of community exhibited in this town, it's no surprise that Ashfield's fall festival is a philanthropic affair. The Columbus Day weekend event goes on even if it rains, possibly due to the desire to raise funds for the Ashfield Citizens' Scholarship Fund to benefit higher education. Admission is free, but parking attendants accept donations. At time of publication, the most recent festival had netted nearly $13,000 to assist with the educational endeavors of its citizens.

Did Someone Say Maple?

Ashfield is a farming community, so it's no wonder that its festival food offerings rise above normal festival fare. It's also in New England -- syrup central. With 2 percent of the country's maple production, Massachusetts may not be as sweet as Vermont, but you wouldn't know it hanging around this party. No cinnamon-dusted elephant ears here; fried dough is served with maple cream. Even cotton candy and snow cones are maple-kissed. Heartier fare comes in abundant chilies and chowders. Pumpkin spice doughnuts proliferate, and the appearance of organic cider sends lemonade days packing. It's fall in New England.

So Much to Do

The festival serves as a fund-raiser for local service organizations. Ditch your e-reader and support the library book sale. Make your way through a tag sale maze to help the First Congregational Church. Wander among the booth displays of painters, potters and weavers. Marvel at the instrument makers, fabric artists and glass blowers. If nothing tickles your fancy, just sign up for one of several community organization raffles, cross your fingers and head off to hear a bit of fiddle playing or jazz before witnessing the Giant Pumpkin and Tallest Sunflower contests.

Lots for the Little Ones

Of course the Ashfield Fall Festival has face-painting. Festivals always do. But a child about to hand over pocket contents to become Spiderman's look-alike could easily be tempted at this affair to spend it elsewhere -- especially if he's hungry. Maple snow cones, maple cotton candy and hot applesauce sundaes served at a Berkshires autumn fest won't be found at the supermarket back home. Nor will your young charges often have a chance in this electronic age to play games with names like "top hat toss," "stump monkey" or "fidget ladder." Welcome to the Berkshires.

Practicalities

Parking is available east of the center of town where attendants take donations for the scholarship fund. Because the festival is so well-attended and takes place on not just public, but private, property, organizers request that you leave canine friends at home. Additionally, if you hope to make your visit to the festival during a year when the fall foliage is particularly spectacular, check the Berkshires.org website for the “Leaf Chief's” foliage report updates.

Holiday Area

The Concordia Fall Festival in Concordia, Missouri