By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Northborough – Nearly 100 vendors are expected to participate in the annual Applefest Street Fair Saturday, Sept. 21. The fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Algonquin Regional High School (ARHS) parking lot. The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Northborough.
Last year approximately 5,000 people came to enjoy the event, Skip Doyle, the committee chair, said.
“We are expecting another great turnout this year,” he said. “In addition to many of the vendors we have had in the past, we have several new craft vendors this year. There will be a whole mix of types.”
In addition to the vendors, there will also be entertainment throughout the day, including bell ringers from Trinity Church, Tae Kwon Do demonstrations and dance troupes.
Fair attendees will not go hungry, Doyle said, as there will be plenty of booths selling food and drinks.
Traditionally the fair is held in the downtown area but was moved to ARHS last year because of the ongoing traffic project. Although that has been completed the organizers decided to keep the fair at ARHS.
Last year parking was a bit of a difficulty due to the many people who attended. But that will not be an issue this year, Doyle said.
“We have been working with [ARHS] Facilities Manager Mike Gorman to identify extra parking spots,” he said. “There will also be plenty of people directing attendees to those spots. So people shouldn's worry – there will be plenty of parking for everyone.”
The rain date for the Street Fair is Sunday, Sept. 22. If it rains both days, the event will not be rescheduled. Michelle Gillespie, the Applefest chair, said the event would only be postponed or cancelled if there were torrential, sustained rain.
Some of the vendors participating include nonprofit groups like the Rotary, Scouts, Northborough Grange, Friends of Northboro Senior Center Inc. and Northborough Food Pantry.
There will also be religious organizations, school groups, and local businesses including the Community Advocate.
“This is a great way to support many of the local nonprofits who do such great work in our community,” Gillespie said. “It's also a great way to support the local businesses, especially the smaller ones, that are right here in Northborough.”
To view of a map of the street fair, a list of the vendors, and information on other Applefest events, visit www.northboroughapplefest.com.