Thank you, community! Gratitude to 7,500 attendees, 100 exhibitors and 18 local to global food vendors. We appreciate you local performers, musicians, chefs and workshop presenters who filled six stages and tents with your talent and experience. It couldn’t happen without 200 volunteers throughout the weekend. A committee of 30 friends and neighbors plan year-round, thriving through positive communication and mutual respect, without paid staff or formal hierarchy. Huge thanks to our hosts, Forster Farm and fiscal sponsor Common Good.

All collectively made the 26th annual North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival an uplifting success!

The day after, organizers and exhibitors took a break from the work of festival take-down to share highlights over lunch, each story contributing to the community-building values that infuse the event. The festival was initiated to support local artists and farmers in the North Quabbin and nearby towns. It succeeds, with hundreds of thousands of dollars circulating on the festival field each year, fueling the region’s creative and food/land-based economy. Admission stays low so all can enjoy, from free to $10 for the weekend, without reliance on corporate sponsorship or alcohol sales.

Over the years the festival has donated $65,000 to local organizations that propagate renewable energy, the arts, agriculture, health, and social justice, plus thousands more to school and community groups that assist with parking. Once again, only two bags of trash remain, the rest recycled or transformed into compost for gardens (we’ve shared eco-tips with events throughout Massachusetts).

As per original intention, the celebration unites people from near and throughout New England to enjoy the beauty and attractions in the North Quabbin and surrounds, enhancing regional vitality. In these times, we hope the creativity, human connections, and portal to the future vision that are at the heart of the festival radiate widely across our region and well beyond.

Deb Habib

On behalf of the North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival Committee, Orange