Hot Tickets Fall/Winter

Forging Ahead

It will be a hot time in Fitchburg on September 30, when Fitchburg’s Blacksmith Art & Renaissance Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary. The Festival is geared toward promoting the craft of blacksmithing and the arts, with a live Forge-In competition in which blacksmiths create preset projects using traditional fire and anvil methods.

But there’s more to this festival than smoking hot forges, ringing hammers, and creative designs. Imagine a full day of live music, arts and crafts vendors — and renaissance-themed events! Visitors are invited to wear period costume to bolster the Renaissance atmosphere. The Knights of Lord Talbots, a nonprofit education-based reenactment group, will present unscripted armored combat demos and a historical encampment dating from the end of the Hundred Years War.

Need more enticement to attend? How about belly dancing, whip demonstrations, and vendors selling everything from swords to jewelry! Demonstrations at the event in Fitchburg’s Riverfront Park on Boulder Drive, are free to watch. It’s fun for the whole family to enjoy.

Wholly Cannoli!

Looking for a special treat? How about an evening of snacking devoted entirely to cannoli — those mouth-watering, decadent tubular pastries packed with a luscious ricotta filling incorporating additions ranging from chocolate chips to nuts and candied fruits. And that’s just the beginning!

Dozens of vendors will be on hand, tempting visitors to Leominster’s downtown district with these fabulous Italian treats, along with coffee, music lots of camaraderie. Think that if you’ve seen one cannoli, you’ve seen them all? Think again! Consider these variations from last year’s event: apple crisp, blueberry cobbler, or peanut butter cup!
If you love cannoli, you’ve gotta put this one on your calendar: Monday, October 9, 5 to 9 pm on Main Street, Leominster. And be sure to bring your appetite!

Sale-ing Away

Don’t you just love a bargain? Of course you do! And what better way to find a great deal or a special treasure than at a yard sale.

Now, multiple that by a dozen, a score, a hundred …. and you’ve painted a picture of that popular local event, and city- or town-wide yard sale. To be sure, summer seems to be the most popular time for yard sales, especially ones encompassing an entire municipality.

But if you’re visiting North Central Massachusetts in the fall, you haven’t missed out on this time-honored local tradition!

Here are three hot tips for you this fall:

• September 9 in Templeton. This annual town-wide event benefits the Narragansett school music program, as participating sellers pay a fee to gain a spot on the map. There are usually a host of sales right at the high school parking lot on Baldwinville Road, too, so be sure to swing by.
• September 16 in Leominster. Stop by City Hall at 25 West St., Leominster to grab a map, and follow the trail as you hunt for treasures!
• September 16 and 17 in Fitchburg. It’s a good bet there will be over 100 sales listed on the city’s interactive map! Visit fitchburgyardsale.com to try it out!

Recycled Chic

Creativity will be on parade — or, rather, on stage — when Winchendon throws its Back to School Bash on September 2 at Winchendon Community Park on Ingleside Road.

Local teens have been invited to wear their talent on their sleeves … and legs… all over!.. by designing clothing from recycled materials. Here’s the key: “materials” can not include fabric! Paper, cardboard, plastic, tinfoil, duct tape — who knows what recycled items might find their way into this clothing and onto the stage?

The Recycled Fashion Show is a competition, and the winner will go home with a $100 gift card to use for back to school shopping! How creative will the teens get? Visit the Back to School Bash to see — and to enjoy a Nerf gun war, music, candy, ice cream and more. It’s time to say good-bye to summer and hello to the new school year! Visit Winchendon Community Park on Facebook for more information on this fun-filled event.