The Delay Becomes You--Sunday Fall Fest Is a Fantastic Success
Winchendon DPW staffers Glen LaRochelle and Sue Garno hard at work.
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Children enjoyed the pony rides offered by Hyridge Farms Giddy Up Pony Rides.
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Baby goats were among the animals Fall Fest attendees could interact with, thanks to Animal Craze Petting Zoo.
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Winchendon favorite The BIG RanDom play classic rock for an audience of their fans.
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Postponed one day to avoid rainy weather, the 7th Annual Winchendon Fall Festival was a great success for attendees and vendors. An estimated 6,000 attendees strolled up and down Central Street to visit vendors' tables, buy crafts, goods and food, take a chance on raffles, pick up information about town organizations and local services, and listen to entertainment. Food vendors of all kinds sold out of food entirely. Not everybody strolled: the ever-popular trackless train made countless one-mile round trips the length of Central Street, with full cars every time. Several vendors that the Courier spoke to reported doing extremely well, including several non-profit organizations.
Attendees represented every age level from infants to elders, with many children and strollers accompanying families. Lots of dogs came along with their owners, all of them very well behaved--and they weren't the only pets to visit. A pet snake accompanied a couple stopping by the tables in the YMCA parking lot. Activities for kids included face painting, a bounce house up at the north end of the street, a pie-eating contest, and...cannon firing. The continuous booms of Crane's Continental Artillery, a first for Fall Fest, puzzled neighbors, but thrilled the young kids who were allowed to fire a real historical Revolutionary War cannon by putting a hot pricker (or a facsimile thereof) to the touch hole. Mom and dad will probably play the resulting videos many times to come!
The Winchendon CAC, the Winchendon Garden Club and Ahimsa Haven Animal Rescue were just some of the organizations running raffles of unique baskets full of donated and hand-crafted items. Two local authors had tables: the prolific Kevin Flanders, who writes thrilling fiction, and Elise Mariolis, with her first picture book, The Dog With No Chill, which could be purchased with a companion coloring book. Both authors were present to autograph copies of their work.
Fall Fest organizer Nicole Roberts told the Courier that when the decision was made to change the date from Saturday to Sunday, they contacted all of the 190 vendors and exhibitors, as well as presenters, and almost everyone "was very amenable to switching over." More than 170 arrived bright and early on Sunday morning, with just a handful citing church attendance or other event commitments in conflict with the change. Most of the scheduled bands were able to appear on Sunday, along with DJ Kayden Gorden at the north end of the street and solo performer Ron Morrey at the south end.
Ms. Roberts said that she pretty much has the whole Fall Fest organization protocol down pat, and she really enjoys doing it every year.
Ms. Roberts wants to credit everyone who worked hard on making Fall Fest happen, including the Winchendon Police Department, the Department of Public Works, Tina Santos and the Winchendon Garden Club. The Scouts assisted with the fall decorating on Central Street. Callie Knower assisted with vendor check-ins and the Murdock Football Team helped set up chairs. Guy Corbosiero helped measure vendor spaces and set out the numbered markers so everyone would know where they should be (and did so in Saturday night's rain!). The Robinson Broadhurst Foundation earns major praise for helping to fund the event. W.L. French sponsored the Animal Craze Petting Zoo, and Central Mass Tree sponsored Hyridge Farms Giddy Up Pony Rides.
The date for next year's Fall Fest has already been set: mark your 2024 calendars for October 12! Ms. Roberts says she is now building a rain date into the plans...just in case.
Finalists in the Beals Prize for Young Writers Announced
The Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon, MA has announced the ten finalists in the first Beals Prize for Young Writers, a competition of the written word, either through poetry or prose writing. The prize recognizes the work of teens in grades 9 through 12 who either live or go to school in Winchendon.
The finalists are: Emma Brennan from the Winchendon School for "The Journey"; Calhan Fielder from the Winchendon School for "Dirt Roads to Highways"; Katrina Hachkowski from the Winchendon School for "An Unusual Journey"; Alexa James from the Winchendon School for "The Skirt of a Storm"; Jaden Lane from Murdock High School for "Stenchful Odor"; Elaine Maloney from Murdock High School for "Beauty"; Barbora Prochazkova from the Winchendon School for "Too Confidential"; Via Rose from Murdock High School for "I'll Leave You Be"; Kassandra Santos from Murdock High School for "Girlhood"; and Donovan Whitaker from Murdock High School for "The Veil".
The awards presentation will be held at the library on Wednesday, October 18 at 6:30 p.m., when the top ten finalists will read their submissions. Directly after the readings, the judges will announce the prize winners. Prize money of $150.00 for first, $75.00 for second, and $50.00 for third will be awarded. The remaining seven finalists will receive $10 each. The event is free and open to the public.
The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant Street in Winchendon, MA. For more information, please call the library at 978-297-0300 or visit the website at bealslibrary.org.
This event is brought to you with federal funds by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Click here to read the finalists' submissions!
Ghoulishly Good Movies at the Beals Memorial Library
Come to the Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon in the weeks leading up to Halloween to trick-or-treat yourself to some fear-tastic flicks and other films. The library has brought back their monthly movie events this October, starting off the month with their Classic Movie Matinee. Grab some popcorn and some Halloween treats and head over to the Beals Memorial Library's auditorium for a film that's sure to give you chills!
On Wednesday, October 18, at 3:00 p.m., the Winchendon library will be screening the 1962 classic thriller Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (rated PG-13). Starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, the film follows a former child star who torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion. This classic film is a must-see for fans of thrillers, so come catch it on the big screen while you can!
On Saturday, October 21, at 10:00 a.m., the library will be hosting their first Sensory Friendly Movie Matinee with a screening of Disney's Elemental (rated PG)! The film follows Ember and Wade, beings made of fire and water, in a city where fire-, water-, earth-, and air-residents live together. Enjoy a sensory friendly movie experience, featuring: dim lighting, lower volume, film breaks, and the freedom to move, clap, and sing as you enjoy the show! This event is for families that may have children with special needs to enjoy a movie theater experience in a relaxed, safe, and accepting environment and is part of the library's See Beyond the Spectrum Initiative. The film begins at 10:00 a.m., with an intermission at 11:00 a.m., and should wrap up by 12:30 p.m.
Finally, on Thursday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m., the library will be showing their final film of the month, Wes Anderson's latest hit, Asteroid City (rated PG-13). Featuring a star-studded cast including Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, and Jason Schwartzman, the film follows a writer on his world famous fictional play about a grieving father who travels with his tech-obsessed family to small rural Asteroid City to compete in a junior stargazing event, only to have his world view disrupted forever.
All movies at the Beals Memorial Library are free to attend and shown in the library's auditorium. Bring your own popcorn and treats and come enjoy this month's lineup of films!
The Sensory Friendly Movie Matinees are sponsored by fund provided by the Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).
The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant Street in Winchendon. For more details, call the library at 978-297-0300 or visit their website at bealslibrary.org.
Winchendon Furniture Closes Book on 84 years of Furniture Craftsmanship and Retail
Family-owned furniture store begins total liquidation sale October 12
Photo courtesy of Hannah Dickerson
Photo courtesy of Hannah DickersonWINCHENDON, Mass. (Oct. 10, 2023) - After serving Winchendon and central New England for 84 years, Winchendon Furniture is going out of business. The family-owned home furnishings store will permanently close its flagship location following a liquidation sale which opens to the public October 12.
Winchendon Furniture is run by Joe Ladeau, Ryan Ladeau, and Keith Ladeau, second and third generation owners of the family business. Along with Glenn Hunt, long time office manager, the Ladeaus have played a crucial role in stewarding Winchendon Furniture's legacy of personal service and high-quality furniture.
"This community has shown our family unwavering support since the day my father opened the doors of his business in 1939. It has been truly rewarding to serve the people of Winchendon and to promote the community's name throughout New England," said Ladeau.
The store-closing sale begins October 12 at 13 Railroad Street across from Belletetes Lumber Yard. Products for every room in the home will be on sale at deep discounts including 50% off all accessories and 65% off heirloom rugs. The liquidation event features famous name brands such as Stressless, Hancock & Moore, Howard Miller, Hekman, Copeland, and Hickory Craft.
Winchendon Furniture has been a contributing member of the community as much as it has been an important business. Joe Ladeau was a trustee of Winchendon School for 25 years, a member of the Board of Directors at the YMCA for 15 years and served on the Board of Selectmen for the town of Winchendon.
Richard Ladeau, Joe's father, founded the company as Winchendon Custom Upholstery Co, Inc. in 1939. He first developed an interest in furniture while working for his father, George, at a furniture manufacturing company. Richard upholstered dining chairs for local factories and built a reputation for quality reupholstering.
In 1943 he bought the building at 13 Railroad Street and expanded his business to include antique restoration. In 1945, his brother Frank returned home from World War II and became his partner in the business, which gradually transitioned from upholstering and antique restoration to selling high-quality brand name furniture lines.
After Richard's death in 1972, his sons, Joe and Jack, purchased their father's half of the business from Frank. Six years later, they purchased Frank's half and in 1980 changed the name of the company to Winchendon Furniture. Together, they expanded the business to include three locations with a store in Amherst and Keene, New Hampshire. The Amherst and Keene stores have previously been closed.
Drawing on Winchendon's natural resources and history of skilled craftsmanship, Winchendon Furniture earned a reputation for selling all-wood furniture, hand-made in the United States, which the store still carries today along with a vast assortment of other top-of-line products.
Store management encourages early shopping of the liquidation sale for best selection. The building is also for sale. Interested parties may contact Joe Ladeau at (978) 297-0131 or visit the store website at www.winchendonfurnituresale.com.
Trick or Treating
Tuesday, October 31
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
