Frank Christopher, one of 20 volunteers who will work at the annual Fall Festival at Breakheart Reservation on Saturday, puts the finishing touches on the entrance piece at the gate to Breakheart. Item Photo by Owen O’Rourke
By Bridget Turcotte
SAUGUS — Fall is in full swing in Saugus.
The Friends of Breakheart Reservation are ramping up for Saturday’s Fall Festival, which will be held at the park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Last year, turnout for the festival exceeded 500 people, said Cynthia Regnier, a member of the Friends. This year, with more to do and see, they expect an even greater turnout.
Gift bags were filled with pure maple syrups, honey, and pine soaps and decorated with pine cones by volunteers this week. They will be sold for about $5 during the debut of the Friends Gift Shop.
“We’re raising money to support the different events that we have, like this,” said Joyce Vecchiarelli, a member of the Friends.
Hot dogs, chips and Italian ice will also be sold, she said.
The park’s newly built gazebo will house a bluegrass band, which will play music throughout the entire event.
Activities include pumpkin decorating, old-fashioned lawn games, a visit from Smokey the Bear, touch-a-truck, face painting, stuff your own scarecrow, and meeting the Department of Recreation and Conservation Mounted Unit and Fire Patrol.
Animal Affair Traveling Petting Zoo, based in Rehoboth, Mass., will arrive with animals to pet, feed, and take pictures with. The company brings farm animals to birthday parties, church events, school programs, summer camps, wedding receptions, and other events.
For the festival, Animal Affair will bring goats, chicks, ducklings, rabbits, piglets, ducks and chickens.
The old-fashioned cider press at the Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center will be running, pressing locally purchased apples into cider.
Children can go bobbing for donuts and search for candy in a stack of hay.
“Our hope is that mother nature is on our side,” said Regnier. “We’re certainly hoping for a big turnout and to create awareness of what our membership offers. Hopefully people come and enjoy themselves. It’s a lot of free family fun.”