Windham Historical Society’s Fall Harvest Festival offers family fun

By Haley Pal
Special to The Windham Eagle

The Windham Historical Society’s Fall Harvest Festival will be back for its fourth year from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10 on the Society’s Village Green at 234 Windham Center Road in Windham.

The Saco River Jazz Band performs during last year's
Harvest Festival sponsored by the Windham Historical
Society. This year's Fall Harvest Festival returns from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the society's
Village Green at 234 Windham Center Road in Windham 
and offers games, prizes, live music, food, a scavenger
hunt and tours of historic buildings. COURTESY PHOTO 

The festival is always one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the historical society, and it is packed with things to do for kids of all ages. At 11:15 a.m., the contests begin and start with relay races. Participants will be competing in the three-legged race, the potato sack race and carrying an egg on a spoon. The games are entertaining to watch, and the kids are very competitive while always maintaining the spirit of fun.

Then at 1 p.m., Windham Town Clerk Anthony Blasi will be judging at the annual pie-eating contest. There will be a scavenger hunt throughout the day and a contest where children guess how many peanuts there are in a jar. Prizes will be awarded to all the winners.

Bands will play live music from start to finish. The Lakes Region Strummers perform in the morning, the Windham Middle School 8th Grade Orchestra at 12:30 p.m. on the gazebo and in the afternoon, the swinging sounds of the Saco River Jazz Band will fill the air.

The Saco River Jazz Band, a group of volunteer musicians, will perform classic tunes from the “Big Band Era,” of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

The historic buildings that populate the Village Green will be open for tours. Tours of Historic Buildings located on the Village Green grounds will be conducted by Windham Historical Society members and will showcase The Old Grocery Store displaying authentic rural mercantile of the late 19th century, The Village School, a one-room schoolhouse with the historical society’s schoolmarm, Miss Hawkes (Paula Sparks) doing lessons, and The Hearse House where an old horse-drawn town hearse is housed.

For the shoppers, a Maker’s Market of talented artists and a White Elephant Table of bargain treasures will share their wares. In addition, the village blacksmith, a stone cutter and a chainsaw artist will be demonstrating their trades.

Food for sale will include hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and homemade desserts as well as Poppie’s Kettle Corn. The event is partnered with Windham Parks & Recreation who will have a booth and oversee some of the competitions and games.

At the Windham Historical Society’s Information Booth, you can try on Colonial-period costumes and get a photo taken as a patriot in honor of our country’s 250th birthday this year. 

There will also be wonderful items up for raffle, including stunning photographs by Brien Richards, a limited edition print of Babb’s Bridge by Windham artist Patrick Corey, a gift basket from On the Docks, a $50 gift certificate from Fire and Ice, and beautiful flowers from Roosevelt Trail Garden Center and Broadway Gardens in Westbrook. 

“It’s a perfect day to get out into the crisp autumn air,” commented Historical Society President Susan Simonson. “You can mix and mingle with other community members, have a bite to eat, and enjoy a nostalgic look back into Windham’s past. We encourage people to bring a chair or a blanket and stay for a while.”

Earlier this year, the historical society conducted a capital campaign to seek donations for further renovation work on the Old Town House, which was not only Windham’s original Town Hall, but also served as a school for many years, and is now the historical society’s headquarters building.

The Old Town House building was remodeled more than 60 years ago to address cosmetic and structural issues with the building. At that time, a raised floor system was installed with a wood-framed suspended ceiling and wall paneling. It covered up some issues with the building but didn’t fit the ambiance of an 1833 structure. Planned renovation work as a result of the successful capital campaign will restore the original 19th century structure and create a building consistent with that era.

Admission to the Harvest Festival is free and open to the public with food, white elephant items, and maker goods available for purchase.

In the event of rain, the festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. <

Harvest Festival blends family fun with historical significance

By Ed Pierce

As the season changes to autumn and crisp fall temperatures arrive in the Lakes Region of Maine, Village Green in Windham Center will be alive with the sights, sounds and flavors of fall during the annual Harvest Festival hosted by the Windham Historical Society on Saturday, Oct. 4.

Contestants compete in the sack race at last year's Harvest
Festival, sponsored by the Windham Historical Society at
Village Green in Windham. This year's festival will run 
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4.
COURTESY PHOTO 

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Village Green, 234 Windham Center Road in Windham and is jam-packed with fun, activities and something for everyone.

“It really is a family-focused day where people can have fun while learning a bit about Windham's very rich history,” said Haley Pal of the Windham Historical Society.

Among things to do this year are to view an antique car show with Model Ts and Model As, take a tour of Community Booths sponsored by Age-Friendly Windham, Windham Parks and Recreation and the Windham Public Library.

Pal said for children there will be old-fashioned relay races including a potato sack race, an eggs on a spoon race, and a three-legged race. Kids will be able to guess how many candy corns are in a jar, participate in a coloring contest and bob for donuts.

Both adults and kids can take part in the Harvest Festival’s annual Pie Eating Contest, which is among the event’s most popular activities year in and year out.

Participants can also compete for prizes in Pumpkin Bowling, and the entire family can join a Scavenger Hunt to locate one or two clues in each Windham Historical Society buildings that are situated on the grounds of Village Green. Pal says that members of the Windham Parks and Recreation Department have partnered with the historical society in helping to stage all the games at this year’s Harvest Festival.

There will be a Vendor Fair at the festival where a variety of crafters and other vendors will be selling goods they have made.

“Among the makers, we have a potter, a jewelry maker, a woodworker, and a doggie treat company,” Pal said. “There is a rock artist, a sign-maker, a card/paper product maker, a woman specializing in wreaths and wind chimes, and one who makes sewn products.”

One of the vendor booths will be reserved for Maine Authors Publishing and three authors are scheduled to be on hand to meet the public and discuss their books including Dr. Nancy Creighton Collins (“The Perfectly Impatient Potter”), Edith Netter (“The House of Schumannstrasse 7”), and Kathy Eliscu (“Brain Tumor: A Love Story.”

“Friends Church will also have a booth filled with nostalgic favorites like baked goods, pickles, relishes, jam, jellies, handsewn products, and more,” Pal said.

The festival will have a White Elephant Sale featuring gently used items such as housewares, jewelry, and holiday decorations up for sale and food will be available all day long.

“We will be cooking and selling burgers and hot dogs,” Pal said. “This year, Poppies Kettle Corn will be on hand as well with snacks and we also will have a dessert table where we're selling cookies for just $1 each.”

Musical Entertainment in the morning will have the Lakes Region Strummers performing. The Stummers are a ukelele group who play casual, feel-good tunes that invite folks to gather, tap their toes, and enjoy the moment.

At noon, the Windham Middle School Eighth Grade Orchestra will take the stage under the direction of WMS Orchestra and Band Teacher Morgan Riley. Band members earned the highest rating of “Superior” in competition at the Trills & Thrills Music Festival in Nashua, New Hampshire in June.

During the afternoon, the Saco River Jazz Band, a group of volunteer musicians, will perform classic tunes from the “Big Band Era,” of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s and sure to please all who attend the festival.

Tours of Historic Buildings located on the Village Green grounds will be conducted by Windham Historical Society members and will showcase The Old Grocery Store displaying authentic rural mercantile of the late 19th century, The Village School, a one-room schoolhouse with the historical society’s schoolmarm, Miss Hawkes (Paula Sparks) doing lessons, and The Hearse House where an old horse-drawn town hearse is housed. There will also be tours available for The Windham Center Library and The South Windham Library and Railroad Museum.

“The Windham Historical Society’s Blacksmith Shop is not quite finished inside, but our resident blacksmith, Sam Simonson, will be doing demonstrations at the festival,” Pal said.

Festival participants will also be able to visit and tour the Old Town House which once served as Windham’s Town Hall.

“People can step in and take a look at the renovations done to date there,” Pal said.

Currently the historical society is organizing a capital campaign to seek donations for further renovation work on the Old Town House, which was not only Windham’s original Town Hall, but also served as a school for many years, and is now the historical society’s headquarters building.

The Old Town House building was remodeled about 60 years ago to address cosmetic and structural issues with the building. At that time, a raised floor system was installed with a wood-framed suspended ceiling and wall paneling. It covered up some issues with the building things up but didn’t fit the ambiance of an 1833 structure. Planned renovation work will restore the original 19th century structure and create a building consistent with that era.

In the event of rain, the Harvest Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5. <