...........Press Releases..........
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Press Release
From: Ruth Lyon
To:
Re: West Brookfield Asparagus Festival
Contact: Barbara Rossman POSTBOOT@verizon.net 508-867-5934
Ruth Lyon ntiques@aol.com 508-867-7316
Vendor contact only, Amy Dugas amydugas@charter.net 508-867-5428
West Brookfield Asparagus & Flower Heritage Festival Saturday, May 15
Rain date: Sunday, May 16
WEST BROOKFIELD-The West Brookfield Asparagus and Flower Heritage Festival will be held on Saturday, May 15 (Rain date Sunday, May 16) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on this town’s beautiful and historic common, Routes 9 & 67. More than 90 local growers, vendors and craftsmen will gather for a day of festivity and fun, celebrating all things green, spring in New England, music and dance, and especially, asparagus.
Deiderick Leertouwer, whose history informs us, brought asparagus here from Holland and lived in West Brookfield, where he will be represented. Look for his costumed, welcoming persona to greet you and introduce you to the asparagus alley café and other treats and attractions for everyone.
New this year will be a strolling asparagus person – could be “AsparaGUS,’ or “MISSasparagus,” – we’re not telling. Perhaps you could come up with a better name.
This year there will be no kids’ parade, but there will be more kids’ games; additionally, Ed the Wizard will be with us all day. He is a colorful character who performs magic tricks and enchants kids and their parents as well.
There will be live music and entertainment provided by Dick Chase and our very own fiddler, Samantha Gillogly. She will also accompany the May Pole dancers. Their enchanting performance of this beautiful and colorful tradition is scheduled for 1 pm.
We’ve scarcely mentioned the main attraction. Yes, the lovely green vegetable will be there, featured in chowder, grilled, and prepared in numerous other scrumptious forms. You can even buy a cookbook – a great compilation of recipes from local and famous cooks, returned by popular demand.
Did we mention the other green thing? Or maybe brown with speckles? The frog jumping contest, of course! That will take place at 1:30. Bring your own frog, and hope for a prize-winning performance.
Live animals will be on hand for admiring, and free pony rides will be offered between 11:30 and 2:30. You don’t need cowboy boots for this, but hats are a nice touch, and great for photo ops.
And speaking of photo ops, you can stand behind the wonderful asparagus stand-up, place your face in the hole, and pose for a memorable picture, perhaps for a later you-tube moment.
That’s not all! Remember, this is the year of the Quaboag 350th celebration, and the asparagus festival people want you to know what else will be going on this year in the six towns which comprise the historic Quaboag Plantation area. There will be information available, and people who can inform you as to what’s going on, and when.
You’ll want to know about the Sunday, June 13 croquet social, played on the common with period croquet equipment, with players in period costumes, and free refreshments. Following the croquet social, that same afternoon, also on the common, will be a banjo and fiddle contest, and a supper at the Congregational church right across the street. Look for that information and more at the asparagus festival!
But that’s still not all!
There will be an auction at the West Brookfield Town Hall at 4:30 that very day! The 20 beautiful, one of a kind coffee tables, constructed by local craftsmen, painted by local artists and branded by a local blacksmith, will be auctioned off. The 20 tables to be sold at auction were constructed especially for the Quaboag 350th Ball, held January 2 in the town hall. They are beautiful, and will doubtlessly become highly collectible and treasured items. The brand has been donated to the Quaboag Historical Society, and will never be used again; the paintings are of course one of a kind. There will be photos of the tables at the festival, or they may be seen at the auction preview that afternoon from 2:00-4:30 p.m. at the town hall in the center of town.
In addition to the tables, there will also be some decorative accessories from the ball to be auctioned. New Braintree’s own, auctioneer Joe Craig will handle the gavel.
All proceeds from the sale will be given to the Quaboag 350th committee, to help with the celebration’s expenses.
And There’s More! A Quilt Show 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Quaboag Plantation Quilters will be holding a quilt show at the Senior Center; just take Central Street from the light in the center of town, to the end of the street. There, the quilters will have on display the quilt they’ve made in celebration of the Quaboag 350th; additionally, the large and beautiful West Brookfield bicentennial quilt, created in 1975, will be displayed. There will be a raffle for a quilt made by the group for this anniversary year. Raffle tickets may be purchased at that time; the winner will be chosen later in the year. As an added attraction, quilts made by members of the guild will be on display as well. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to see the Quaboag 350th quilt, shown at the show for the first time anywhere, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. That artful creation will later be presented to the Quaboag Historical Museum.
And while you’re right there, you might want to stop by the Quaboag Historical Society Museum, right across the street from the senior center. It contains historical information and artifacts from all of the six towns which make up Quaboag Plantation. It is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
For information about the asparagus festival as well as many other events planned throughout the year, please visit our Official Website at http://quaboag350.com or for more specific information pertaining to the asparagus festival, please contact Barbara Rossman at 508-867-5934.