Cheshire Fall Festival adds hot-air balloons, inflatable zone for all ages
CHESHIRE — The arrival of September means students return to school and the Cheshire Fall Festival & Marketplace returns to Bartlem Park.
To celebrate the change of seasons, the 34th annual festival kicks off Fridayat 5pm with music and food trucks. Events take place all day Saturday, and will be capped off by a fireworks display at dusk.
Yetta Augur, President of the Cheshire Chamber of Commerce, describes the event as “about bringing our businesses and community together. This festival is a labor of love for us to really showcase our businesses and offer a fun family event.”
“Our Board of Directors, the Committee, and the Chamber staff have been working on the festival since January,” Augur added. “This festival is a team effort. A huge thank you to Cheshire Police Department, Cheshire Fire Department, Cheshire Public Works, Cheshire Parks and Recreation, and all the support from the Cheshire Town Council…This year, the cost of the festival has really increased and we could not do this without the generosity of our sponsors.”
Town Manager Sean Kimball described the festival as an important tradition. “It showcases our local businesses, community organizations, and highlights what makes Cheshire such a special place,” he said.
The schedule of events is available at www.cheshire festival.com.
Something new that should attract a lot of adventurous types is an opportunity to try hot-air ballooning. In partnership with ReMax Realty, festival-goers will be able to take a tethered aerial journey and get a bird’s-eye view of town. Proceeds go toward funding the festival and keeping it free for all.
The Cheshire Kiwanis Club, which sponsors the carnival, has added an inflatable zone for all ages. The zone will be open from 10 am to 7 pm on Saturday.
The festival’s second stage will showcase several martial arts studios from around town, demonstrating their training and abilities, as well as the Cheshire Junior Football cheer squad.
The Fall Festival is also an excellent opportunity to learn more about civic organizations and make contact with neighbors, old friends, and community leaders. There will be booths sponsored by religious organizations, Town of Cheshire governmental entities, service and health care providers, political organizations and an array of local businesses.
Craftspeople are a special focus of the festival. Whether one is interested in woodworking, soaps, fabrics, clay, pottery, floral designs, or locally-made clothing for adults and children, there is likely to be an artist or maker with interesting wares to peruse and purchase.
If classic cars are your speed, they will be on view all day Saturday across Route 10 at Cheshire High School. Food at the car show is available courtesy of Cheshire restaurant Royster’s BBQ Co., as well as smoothies and snacks from Cool Bri’s Smoothies.
Earlier this year, Generation Prime Education Foundation founder Linda Blackburn came to the Chamber with an idea to help the Fall Festival have less of an impact on the environment. “Linda worked to enlist the assistance of the town’s Sustainable CT Committee, as well as the Cheshire Environment Committee,” said Augur. Volunteers from the Coalition for a Sustainable Cheshire will also take part. Food truck vendors will be using biodegradable materials. Plus, Generation Prime also made an investment to provide the food outlets with bamboo utensils.