Forces unite for Harvest Festival
Creemore Village Green has come on board to make for more robust programming for Saturday, Oct. 7. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine, Creemore Village Green, adorned in fall decor, will be at the axis for the day’s activities, which will include the annual Toronto and North York Hunt’s Horse and Hound parade, and an extended Creemore Farmers’ Market.
Park manager Jeremy Mantesso said the Village Green’s goal is to make the programming more robust for the benefit of the community and also help position Creemore as a fall destination in order to increase foot traffic to support local businesses.
“Everything we do is to support the village and local businesses,” said Mantesso.
He said the theme is ABCs – abundance, bounty, community – encompassing themes around harvest time, philanthropy, and rural traditions.
New this year, there will be a chili challenge voted on by the community, and a pumpkin pie category has been added to the annual apple pie contest, hosted by the farmers’ market. There will also be horse-drawn wagon rides, a stilt walker, a caricature artist, autumn themed games, and live music. There will be stations set up where attendees can learn how to use an apple press to make cider, facepainting and play with Imaginarium, create an ornament for the gratitude tree, and play autumn themed games on the lawn like pumpkin bowling and gourd tic-tac-toe.
In an effort to support the community, firefighters from Creemore will be on site collecting donations for the local food bank, where proceeds from the pay-to-sample pie contests will also be directed. Girl Guides and Clearview Minor Hockey are also participating.
The Creemore Horticultural Society’s annual floral pumpkin sale, one of their big fundraisers of the year, is also on this day. Members will be selling their arrangements from 9 a.m.
There will be live music on the Village Green stage in the morning and afternoon, ending with Meredith Moon.
Many of the activities will be happening through the day and some of the special programming is slated between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., with the wagon rides from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The horses and hounds will parade through the village at 11 a.m., followed by a meet and greet at the Gordon Feed and Seed lot across the street from Creemore Village Green from noon to 1 p.m.
RSVP to the chili challenge at manager@creemorevillagegreen. ca and register for the pie contest at cfm.applepiecontest@outlook.com to receive contest details. The tasting and judging happens between noon and 1:30 p.m.
All activities are free of charge and presented by Creemore Village Green, Creemore Farmers’ Market and the Creemore BIA, although donations to the pie and chili contests are welcome.
