Special to The Windham Eagle
It was mostly sunny and the temperature hovered on both sides of 70 degrees – one of those perfect fall days that greeted between 400 and 500 attendees at the Windham Historical Society’s 2nd annual Harvest Festival which featured three music groups, community booths, local vendors, antique autos, relay races, games and tours of the Society’s historical museum buildings, including Windham’s 19th century “Old Grocery” mercantile store, the Windham/Little Falls library, Windham Center Library and the replica of Windham Center’s one-room schoolhouse.
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| Visitors tour the 2024 Harvest Festival held on the Village Green and hosted by the Windham Historical Society on Saturday, Sept. 28. PHOTO BY WALTER LUNT |
Later, the Windham 8th Grade Band kept things upbeat with several numbers, including one by John Phillips Souza.
Throughout the five-hour festival, a multitude of patrons could be seen milling about, talking, and enjoying the dozens of events and booths while reconnecting with friends and neighbors. One family “from away” told a museum docent, “We just moved back (to Maine) and this makes it feel like a real home town.” Another commented, “What an impressive turnout. People (are) casually milling about, coming together, and celebrating their hometown history.”
In addition to the community booths, which included Friends of the Presumpscot River, Maine Insurance Benefits Group, Windham Public Library, Windham Adult Education and Age Friendly Windham, seventeen vendor tables attracted scores of visitors who pored over a vast array of creations including crafts, fabric art, totes, crocheted and needle-felted items, books, photos, paintings, and jewelry. Many folks were observed carrying away bags of treasures from the white elephant sale area.
But make no mistake, one of the most popular spots at the festival was the food booth: hamburgers, hot dogs, cider, and baked goods.
One of the most poignant moments of the day, as relayed by a docent at the South Windham/Little Falls library museum, one patron was brought to tears by the memory of the small library building of her youth – the books, the scent and fond remembrance of a special librarian she loved. “Quite moving,” said the docent. Another reminder of what we do here. And why we do it.
Similar sentiments were heard throughout the day. It was opening day for the Windham Center Library, following years of structural and code issues with the building. It was the town’s first public library and was formerly located across from Corsetti’s Store at Windham Center. Several visitors recalled checking out books there before it closed in the mid-70s. One commented, “Quaint and beautiful, I’m delighted that you saved it.”
Among the busy museum buildings were the Old Grocery and one-room schoolhouse where the docents elaborated on the historical contents and practices of the 1900s. It was observed that those tour guides did not go on break all day.
The musical high note of the day came at the end of the day as the highly entertaining Saco River Jazz Band enthralled festival goers with the music and the history of the late 1800s, followed by the booming big band sounds of the 40s and 50s. Toe-tapping and knee slapping were observed throughout the performance. Said one patron following the band’s rendition of In the Mood, “I could close my eyes and see Glenn Miller leading them.”
As one Windham third grader once said of the historical society’s efforts, “We had fun with history.” <
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