October Harvest Time

 

October Festivals and Harvests

Harvest time in October means it is festival time! People are gathering across the country to celebrate the foods and traditions of their region. From New England cranberries to Oregon pumpkins, there’s a lot to see and do. 

Our Favorites

21^st Annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival

This is all about bringing the sheep home and other livestock home from the mountains to their winter pasture. The streets fill with sheep as people gather to celebrate and preserve the history and culture of sheep herding in Idaho and the West. 

Where: Sun Valley, Ketchum, and Hailey, Idaho

When: October 4-8, 2017

Juried arts and crafts show offers handmade items made of wool, alpaca, wool blends or items of a 'sheep' nature such as soaps and lotions from lanolin, sheep cheeses or items that augment cooking with lamb.  More:trailingofthesheep.org.

14^th Annual Cranberry Harvest Festival.

This New England tradition is the highlight of the harvest season in Massachusetts. Bog tours, paddleboat rides and more.

Where: Wareham, Massachussetts

When: October 7-8, 2017

More:  https://www.seeplymouth.com/events/14th-annual-cranberry-harvest-celebration

Circleville Pumpkin Festival

Established in 1903 by the Mayor, it began as a small exhibit of corn and pumpkin decorations. Today it offers so much more.

Where: Circleville, Ohio

When: October 18-21, 2017

Parades and delicious fall treats. Plus, more than 10,000 pounds of pumpkins, squash, and guards beautifying the streets! More: pumpkinshow.com.

Other Fun Festivals:

Hood River Valley Harvest Fest

Where: Hood River, Oregon

When: October 13-15, 2017

For more information: hoodriver.org.

Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival

Where: Stowe, Vermont

When: October 14-15, 2017

For more information: vtpumpkinchuckin.blogspot.com.

 

Related Information

Cranberry Food Lore

 

Historical Thanksgiving

A Historical Turkey Ride

 

For four centuries Thanksgiving has been a time to show appreciation of what bounty we have. The tradition began in the fall of  1621 when the Mayflower carried passengers from Plymouth, England in search of a new home. After a long and treacherous journey they finally settled in Massachusetts. 

Long before the settlers arrived the area was inhabited by many Native American nations, among them the Wampanoag. The natives who been there for a very long time knew how to live well off the land they hunted, fished, and harvested. Chief Massasoit, the Wamapnoag leader, offered to help the pilgrims learn how to use the land in exchange for mutual protection. And so the Thanksgiving feast tradition began with a  shared harvest celebration. 

Here are more facts about the history of this day of thanks:

1)    The famous “Pilgrim and Wampanoag” story featured in modern Thanksgiving narratives was excluded from earlier Thanksgiving legends, largely due to tensions between Indians and colonists.

2)    Held every year on the island of Alcatraz since 1975, “Unthanksgiving Day” commemorates the survival of Native Americans following the arrival and settlement of Europeans in the Americas.

3)    President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving, and in 1941 Congress established it as a national holiday.

4)    The original Thanksgiving feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 1. It lasted three days and included 50 of the 112 pilgrims inhabitants and approximately 90 Wampanoag members. Their menu included berries, shellfish, boiled pumpkin, and deer.

We hope this year your Thanksgiving is filled with gratitude and joy.

October Celebration: Sukkot

Sukkot: Feast of Booths
Along with harvest festivals that celebrate agricultural bounty, there are also other festive remembrances. Sukkot is one such festival. This seven day commemoration is held on the 15th day of the lunar Hebrew month Tishrei (this year it begins at sunset on Oct. 2) and marks the pilgrimage of Jews to the Temple in Jerusalem. It lasts seven days.
Those who celebrate this holiday create booths that resemble the type of thatched huts in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Egyptian Exodus. During the holiday meals are eat in the booths and in some cases families also sleep in them.
In fact, many families build their own booth then decorate it with gourds, colorful squash, and dried flower wreaths.
More details for building a Sukkah (Sukkot booth) visit http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday5.htm