Accessible Fall Festivals and Upcoming Events

Autumn has arrived with refreshing cool temperatures and color changes in the landscape! Celebrate the season by attending an outdoor event! Here are several upcoming festivals and events in eastern Massachusetts and beyond that feature good accessibility. If you know of others, please share!

Saturday, September 29

Blue Hill Weather Observatory Open House & Kite Festival 10:00am –4:00pm

Things are looking up atop Great Blue Hill at Blue Hills State Reservation just outside Boston! Enjoy the amazing view, fascinating history and fun activities at the oldest continually operating Weather Observatory in the country. Join us for an open house and fun festival for all ages. Free admission to events; donation for some activities. Rain or shine. For details and parking info, call 617- 696-0562, especially if you need accessible parking as spots are limited at the top. Learn more at www.bluehill.org. People can bring their own kites or they can buy them from the gift shop.

Kite Festivals - A Celebration of Color and Fun!

A slide of the sky viewed through arches made of kites.

My spirits are still soaring after attending yesterday's Capriccio Festival of Kites in Ogunquit, Maine. It was a perfect day for the beach with sunny skies, a touch of clouds, and a gentle cooling breeze. As Meb and I drove down the lane from the center of town to the beach, big "WOWs" escaped our throats as we gazed at enormous kites and quantities of richly colored designs riding the wind.

We had come with a big bag of kites to fly ourselves, but also to help with the event, in exchange for free parking ($20 otherwise!) and a free t-shirt  We donned our t-shirts and became instant judges for the kite decorating contest. Tables were set out in the parking lot (very accessible!) where kids were busy coloring sled style kites with markers. I was pleased to find one young participant in a power wheelchair at the task!



With a fistful of award certificates we strolled down the very crowded beach at high tide amidst a carnival-like atmosphere with hundreds of kites sailing in the air. It was a panoramic scene full of wild creations instilling awe at every step. From the tiniest dancing ladybug kite to the massive powerfoil holding a steady immobile presence above the crowd we delighted in the visual feast of buoyant colors. Our job was to seek out children, admire their kites, and hand out certificates that allowed them to get a free kite or festival t-shirt. What fun we had - even before we got to fly our kites!

Along the way we noticed a few other people with obvious disabilities in the mix and found Nolan, the young participant in the power wheelchair we'd met at the coloring table, now using one of the town's beach wheelchairs with kite in hand. (There is ramp to the beach!) This was Nolan's third year at the event and I know we'll be back too! Next year I hope to see more people with disabilities!



Festival scene at Ogunquit Beach barely hints at the variety
and quantity of kites on site from this angle. The biggest kite
in this picture is enormous.

Upcoming Kite Events in New England: Even a drive-by is worth it if you are uncertain about access! Many kite festivals seem to be free spirited public events, without full details in advance - just show up and enjoy! At kite fly is simply a group on kitefliers who have announced a date and place to show up and fly together. In either case, if you have any, bring your own kites to fly!

October 1, November 5, December 3: KONE Monthly Kite Fly on Nahant Beach, Lynn, MA. Contact Gary Quinton at 781-595-7687 or gquinton@verizon.net for more information. KONE is Kites Over New England, an organization devoted to kite flying of which anyone can be a member. I found out about the Capriccio Festival of Kites and these other events through their monthly calendar.

October 8 and 9: East Meets West Kite and Cultural Festival sponsored by the Chinese Multimedia Society, from 10am - 4pm each day at the Pope John Paul II Park in Dorchester, MA. Pope John Paul II Park has accessible parking and paved pathways with pavilions but no accessible restrooms.



Our favorite kid's kite design on right. We saw several 9-11
commemorative kites, but this one stole our hearts.

October 9: One Sky One World - a worldwide kiteflying event for peace and understanding, with events taking place all over the world. Click on link for more info about this amazing endeavor.

November 12: Holiday Kite Fly on Hampton Beach, NH. Contact Ralph Reed at 978-937-8290 or rreed3@comcast.net for more information. (I can't find a thing about accessibility at Hampton Beach on-line!)

November 13: Veterans Day Fly at Hammonasset State Park, CT. Contact Richard Bromley at 203-288-1582 or arembe@comcast.net for more information. Hammonasset State Park features accessible parking, bathrooms, boardwalk, camping, picnic tables, and beach wheelchairs!

Beauty at Borderland, Beach Chair Makeover, and Upcoming Halloween Treat at Maudslay



Charms Collaborative group at the entrance of the Ames Mansion.

If you haven't been to Borderland State Park, it is well worth an autumn outing! Located on the border of N. Easton and Sharon, Massachusetts, this former estate south of Boston offers miles of forested carriage roads and trails, six ponds, glacial outcroppings, an unusual mansion, and a fascinating slice of history. Oakes and Blanche Ames were both from prominent Boston families and devoted to the outdoors. He was a professor of botany at Harvard; she was an artist, feminist, author and inventor who designed their unique stone home, now 100 years old. Both had numerous civic involvements, and together they collaborated on a lifelong study of orchids, which are one of the most thoroughly documented plant families thanks to their efforts.

Looking for something to do in the Pioneer Valley?



CHECK OUT THESE GREAT AUTUMN OPPORTUNITIES!

September 17 - October 3:
The Big E - THE EASTERN STATES EXPOSITION - The biggest fair around with something for everyone: mardi gras parade, concerts, auto shows, stunt shows, historical village, petting zoo, midway, horse show, agricultural displays, and more. Thursday, September 23 is Massachusetts Day and DCR's Universal Access Program will have some adaptive recreation equipment on display behind the Massachusetts building from 10am - 1pm. Sunday, October 3 is Special Olympics Day. Much if not all of the event is quite accessible and there are wheelchair and stroller rentals. Last year I went and saw lots of people with disabilities enjoying the fair!

RIDE THE MERRY-GO-ROUND on fall weekends at Holyoke Heritage State Park: Saturday and Sunday from 12noon-4pm. The Merry-Go-Round is wheelchair accessible - you can get on the platform to enjoy the ride! Some people may be able to transfer into carriages on the carousel and the 80 year old horses are spectacular! Holyoke Heritage State Park also features historical  and art exhibits, a green space in the middle of the city, with Children's Museum and Volleyball Museum close by, all at 221 Appleton Street. Call 413-534-1723 for more info on HHSP exhibits and other events taking place on site. For the merry-go-round, call 413-534-9838.

Enjoy the Fall Season at Fun Events in Eastern Massachusetts!

Tree installation at last year's Outdoor Sculpture
Show at Maudslay State Park.

I just returned from vacation to discover an amazing array upcoming events in eastern Massachusetts at various state parks. Just had to share! There is something here for almost everyone. All events are generally accessible, meaning that most people should be able to access at least most of the experience. Please call if you have specific needs regarding accommodation so you know what to expect.

Thru October 2nd: - Newburyport, MA: 12th Annual Outdoor Sculpture Show in the Park, Maudslay State Park, Curzon Mill Road. Level fields and forest lanes offer a showcase for sculptural pieces that celebrate the park, nature, conservation or ecology. Entries by 30 local artists make for an interesting explore of the park. Catalogs available in the trail map box. Artists reception Saturday, September 18 from 2-5pm. For more information, contact Bert Snow at 978-462-0423 or visit http://www.maudslay.ning.com/.

Fall is a Great Time for Whale Watching

Recently observed whales on a Boston Harbor Cruise Whale Watch.

I've been on a handful of whale watches over the years, all in Massachusetts. The opportunity to be out on the water with whales and other sea life is quite extraordinary. The presence of whales is so magnificent I always find tears in my eyes and a renewed awe of the natural world. It is an opportunity that everyone should be able to have. Recently I've been inspired by Kenny Cieplik's whale watching ventures to write a post here, as well as make a date to get out on another whale watch.