By Aaron Retherford
The Barre Town Parks & Recreation Department has made a concerted effort to showcase its parks and playgrounds throughout the year, hosting everything from a Spring Festival to ice cream socials at the six town playgrounds.

This weekend, the Parks & Rec Department is back at it with a Fall Festival at the Barre Town Recreation Fields/Picnic Shelter on Saturday, October 22 from 3-6 p.m.

“We wanted to continue to promote all of our recreational facilities we have in Barre Town. They’re very good and not everyone knows where they are,” coordinator Terry Smith said. “The ice cream socials really highlighted that for us. There were a number of people who once they found out we were going to all of them, would show up and say ‘I’ve never been here before.’”

Smith said they could not have been happier with the turnout for the ice cream socials. Between 60 and 100 people attended each one.

This will be the Barre Town Parks & Recreation Department’s first Fall Festival, so Smith expects to learn what attendees like and don’t like. In the inaugural event, geared toward children ages 3-10, attendees can expect face painting, pumpkin tic-tac-toe, pumpkin bowling, a hay maze for smaller kids, timed events, an apple cider pressing demo, a scavenger hunt and much more. Boy Scouts Troop #714 will be holding a bake sale and a 50/50 raffle to raise money for the group.

But the main attraction will be a costume parade at 6 p.m. led by Ian Gauthier, the Aldrich Public Library children’s librarian as well as an award-winning bagpiper. The kids will make lanterns they can carry through the forest as Gauthier leads them on a “Wild Things” Story Walk while playing the bagpipes.

And it may not be the last time you’ll be able to celebrate Barre Town parks this year, even with winter quickly approaching. Be on the lookout for sledding socials, which are still in the planning stage. The next Spring Festival is scheduled for June 3, 2017.