42nd Suffield on the Green Entertains Big Crowds

The 42nd annual Suffield on the Green event ended Sunday after participating businesses and organizations spent the weekend entertaining visitors and raising awareness for community causes.

This year’s event saw more than 200 exhibiters set up tents and stalls on the town green as well as an unusually high amount of visitors, according to Friends of Suffield president and event co-chairperson Laura Holmes. The event was a non-profit fundraiser, with all proceeds being recycled back into the community or donated to charitable causes. Participating local businesses supported the event but could not sell anything at their stalls.

"This has been a phenomenal year. The Greens are full, and the craft fair vendors are really happy with all the traffic," Holmes said.

She noted that each booth on the town green tends to try and draw visitors by offering unique attractions every year, such as the Girl Scout’s cookie building stations and the Boy Scout rope walk.

New events to this year’s festivities included the Farm Showcase and an expanded Dog Showcase and Canine Contest. The latter event was open to any visitor with a dog who registered, allowing them to share their dog’s good points with the audience and show off a trick or two.

The craft fair served as a major attraction to the event, boasting over 70 vendors with varying degrees of experience from all over New England. The craft fair was held at the Hatheway House with tents and stalls set up in the open space beside the building as well as inside its barn.

First-time attendees to this year’s fair included Joanne Attardi of The Nut Lady, whose baked nuts are sold in all-natural food stores like Whole Foods and has previously attended events like the Big E.

Leaving the fair behind for good this year is Cape Cod author Richard Wainwright, who has attended the Suffield on the Green event for the past 20 years.

Wainwright is the author of 11 books for audiences ranging from children to adults, including "A Tiny Miracle" and his memoir "Closer Than We Imagine."  He said that he will devote his time from now on to causes such as "Like a Drop of Water," a charity that encourages children from all over the world to look for ways to preserve the environment.

"The people that run this particular fair, the committee, has always been terrific… In 1995, I lost my first wife to cancer, and the committee not only supported me but gave me things to remember their kindness," he said.

Charitable organizations active on the town breen included the Knights of Columbus, who spent the event handing out Toostie Rolls and collecting money to support programs that help people with intellectual disabilities. All of the funds collected in this way are redistributed to organizations that run those programs, such as the Greater Enfield ARC, Suffield Emergency Aid Association and the Suffield Foundation for Excellent Schools, according to volunteer Steve Rigby.

Nearby was a booth run by PAWS-i-tively Energetic, a charity headed by Marianne Kochanek that collects money to buy pet food for families whose financial difficulties make it hard to keep their pets.  Every dollar collected is matched by a sympathetic company Kochanek declined to name before being sent to the SEAA, which stocks the pet food in its food pantry, according to Kochanek.

"When you go down there, people have tears in their eyes because they know they can keep their pets despite everything," she said.

Political presences included the Suffield Democrats and Republicans, both of whom were raising awareness for their respective candidate for town first selectman.  Meanwhile, retired police officer William Kuras spoke to visitors at his booth about his bid for the position of Suffield’s police commissioner as an unaffiliated candidate, citing his 38 years and breadth of experience with the police department as qualifications.

The crowds attracted by the event inspired several nearby residents and businesses not actually participating to make special arrangements for the day. The Second Chance Shop, located adjacent to the Town Green, moved several tables loaded with its wares outside its storefront to attract business.

Nancy Hess opened her doors at James Hall, located just down the street from the Hathaway House, as part of an estate sale meant to prepare her home for a redecorating project. Hess said that she holds a yard sale annually with the Suffield on the Green weekend with her friends specifically because of the turnout it produces.