Saturday, October 15, 2011

Donuts and Beer

Taking the lift down Wachusett Mountain

Nothing beats October in New England. It seems like every sleepy town in New England shines a little brighter come fall. Maybe it's the cool crisp air or the vibrant foliage acting as our own big coloring book, there's just something special about fall in New England.  One of my favorite things about the fall are all the festivals that take place every weekend.  We've got Octoberfests, pumpkin festivals, applefests, fall film festivals, fall foliage tours, maple syrup-paloozafest. Ok, maybe not the last one but you get the idea. 
Don't think these will fit on the porch.
    Today I visited Applefest at Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, MA.  It's located off Route 2 about an hour from Boston.  The foliage in that area hasn't quite reached it's color potential but the festival was a good take nonetheless.  There were lots of craft vendors, activities for the kids and giant pumpkins. Visitors could take a ride on the chair lift to the top of Wachusett and enjoy the lovely view.
View from the top.

My favorite part of Applefest was the food and drink particularly the cider donuts and beer. In my opinion no fall festival is complete without cider donuts and a beer tent.  I love cider donuts. I remember going apple picking as a kid and just waiting for it to be over so I could indulge in my donut treat.  Obviously as a kid I couldn't partake in the beer festivities but now I happily engage in a brew or two as an adult. I wholeheartedly believe that beer tastes better when you have a cider donut in one hand, a beer in the other and the Jolly Kopperschmidts Band entertaining you in the beer tent.  It's a joyful feeling swinging your glass side to side while singing a song that ends in "beer here".  Yup, I love October. 

The Jolly Kopperschmidts Band
                                              
Me and Mom enjoying the atmosphere.

For a list of more festivals in New England, click on the link below:
http://gonewengland.about.com/od/fallfoliage/a/blfallweekends.htm