HUDSON – Hundreds of community members flocked to South Street in Hudson on Saturday for the 36th Annual Hudson Community Festival.
Under clear skies, 120 vendors mingled with attendees and sold everything from hot dogs, to soaps, to wooden bowls carved on portable lathes.
The event also included live music, woodturning demonstrations, nonprofit informational booths and more.
“You can spend lots of money here,” said Assabet Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Sarah Cressy. “But you can also come with your kids and do almost everything for free.”
The chamber of commerce organizes Hudson Fest each year. Speaking with the Community Advocate, Cressy said she is excited to see the event continue to grow and evolve.
“What’s great about Hudson is that everybody loves to get together and support each other,” said Hudson Business Association President Jeffrey Gordon. “That’s probably one of the strengths of Hudson.”
Saturday’s vendors included a mix of artists, nonprofits, commercial vendors, and other organizations. Vendors also came from near and far.
Among those traveling to Hudson was Stacy Buchanan and her business, Essbee Bath and Body. Previously a Maynard resident, Buchanan moved to the Pittsburgh area with her family roughly two years ago. But she said she still comes back to Massachusetts each year for a slate of community festivals.
“We are still a local business,” Buchanan said. “We were made here. We started here. Frankly, a lot of our products are still made here, at times.”
Back on South Street for another year selling goods at Hudson Fest, Buchanan said the event holds a special place as the yearly kickoff to her market season.
“There’s always a lot of extra energy on my end in getting to interact with people,” she said.
Activities got underway at Hudson Fest near 9 a.m. Saturday. Near 1 p.m., the Hudson Rotary Club ran its annual Lucky Duck Race fundraiser, dumping more than 3,000 rubber ducks into the Assabet River to race to a finish line near Cellucci Park.
The race helps fund scholarships for local students and is the Hudson Rotary Club’s longest standing fundraiser.
