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Fall
Family Day
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photos
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| It
was a dreary, cold, very rainy day in October. It should have been the
peak of the fall foliage, but the trees were holding back, waiting for a
better occasion to show their true colors. In the morning, spirits were
very low at the Bidwell House as we prepared for our last event of the
season. |
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But guess what? The hoard came anyway. It was a record
crowd that showed up for Fall
Family Day.
The
weather did not hold back the kids. Laughter and loud enthusiasm could
be heard from far away as they participated in historical kids' games,
like "the game of graces" and "rolling hoops", or
bobbed for apples under the shelter of the roomy open shed. Speaking of
apples, Jim Kelly brought his cider press and boxes and boxes of the
favorite fall fruit, keeping thirsts slaked ‘til closing time.
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| The apple pie contest was a great
success. Monterey Selectmen
Muriel Lazzarini and Peter Brown judged the contest with a professional
flair that made is seen like they did this every day. The winning pie was baked by Kathy Mielke Shaw, made with
apples picked from trees in the family’s back yard in Monterey. |
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Rare
breed animals may have been the biggest draw of the day. Pens and
corrals had been set up around the yard. Dominic Polumbo's beautiful
Pilgrim geese were quite the attraction in the middle of the front lawn.
In the little red barn, visitors could take a gander at Dominic's
Narragansett turkeys, or the rare chickens and Merino sheep brought from
Hancock Shaker Village. The Shaker museum's Charlie Dutelle was as
entertaining in his presentation as the livestock were in their
presence. Later in the day, Gulliver, our stout Haflinger pony, made an
appearance in his own personal stall in the barn. The generous folks
from Robert's Woods -- Marc and Katherine Roberts, Brian Puntin and Tish
Thorpe -- brought up their outstanding Icelandic horses, then stood
tirelessly in the rain throughout the whole afternoon, educating a
constant flow of visitors as to the virtues of these calm and compact
equines. Eric Vincelette's proud and noble Belgian workhorse, Ben, stood
in the back meadow, harnessed to an antique farm wagon, awaiting
passengers for a ride around the edge of the woods; however, few
actually showed up at wagon side except those wanting to take a look at
gentle Ben. It was too far from cover and a thorough soaking was
inevitable ....or, was it that visitors just didn't
want to stray too wide from the excellent chili, splendid
chowder, and fine hot coffee that Gould Farmers were ladling and pouring
out under the tent in the sunken garden? |