Westfield holds Colonial Harvest Day

WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - History was in the air Saturday in the streets of downtown Westfield, as the city celebrated Colonial Harvest Day.

People in Westfield were able to take a step back in time today and get a history lesson you normally don't see in a classroom.

A fiddle contest, colonial re-enactment and stilts are just some of the activities that filled downtown Westfield Saturday at the 8th annual Colonial Harvest Day; a tribute to the city's 18th century history and culture dating back to the Revolutionary War.

Bob Plasce, president of Westfield on the Weekends, told 22News, “As ‘Whip City’, which provided 85% of the carriage whips in America at the turn of the century, we have a rich heritage.”

More than 2,000 people turned out for the event that is also part of a two month long harvest celebration.

“Years ago, everyone always gathered all their stuff for winter, and so that made autumn harvest a very important time,” said Gabriella Steria of Montgomery. “If you didn't have enough stuff then you would starve to during the winter time.”

With more than 60 vendors, Colonial Harvest Day offered a little bit of something for everyone.

Plasce added, “Westfield has had a resurgence; this great new bridge and new green. We’re celebrating our present with our past.”

If you would like more information on how you can participate in next year's Westfield Colonial Harvest Day, click here.