It's festival time on Cape Cod

Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are slipping away. That's all right with me.

I look forward to starting my day with a renewed sense of energy, sipping a hot mug of coffee on the deck, watching the breeze toss the clouds through the bright blue sky and feeling the crisp autumn air

Fall, for me, is a beginning, not an end.

I imagine it has to do with celebrating the change of seasons, a primeval need to socialize before the cold weather sends me back into my cave and the desire to purchase a bounty of fresh produce from a good harvest festival.

On one of those perfect September mornings, I was in my driveway, lugging the sand filled blankets, beach chairs, kayak and picnic baskets from the back of my van.

My curious neighbor, shouted over the fence, "Cleaning out the car to go antiquing?"

"No", was my out of breath reply. "I'm getting ready to do the fall festivals! I need room for all the stuff I 'm going to buy."
"Like what?"
'Oh, jars of home made beach plum jam, whatever goodies I can score at the arts & craft fairs and bushels of fresh picked cranberries."

A Cape Cod harvest is synonymous with cranberries. After the first snap of cold air, these luscious red and orange berries are gathered and shipped off to Ocean Spray Headquarters in Plymouth. [Ocean Spray does not own a single bog. All cranberry bogs are privately owned and operated]

Cranberry growers are an independent breed. They own their own bogs, harvest their crops, set the prices and then (as a co op) sell their bounty of berries to the large conglomerates'. They, then process, package and produce the many flavored juices and whole berries for the marketplace. Last season, 2,500 cranberry farmers in Massachusetts, reported a profit of one hundred million dollars.

I should have married a cranberry grower!

I discovered the Harwich Cranberry Festival when two of my sons were drummers in the local high school marching band. The band was asked to participate in the Annual Harwich Cranberry Festival Parade. Sporting a new pair of 'walking shoes', I marched along the parade route as a member of the Band Parents Club.

That beautiful Indian summer day, with crowds of happy people waving at us along the parade route, and the oh so tempting aroma of cranberry pancakes and smoked ham in the air, still lingers in my memory.

The 'boys' are all grown up and no longer march in parades. Yet, I return each year to savor the memory, sit on a blanket to gaze at the fireworks, devour the cranberry pancakes (not an Atkins Day for me) and scour the Arts & Crafts Fair.

My new neighbor was still watching me, with some amusement; unload all the summer equipment from the van

"Hey, Bev, why don't you come with me this year to the cranberry festival? You might enjoy learning about the natives' secret pleasure - festival bargain hunting. And, I can promise you, the food is yummy!"

We began our festival adventure with the opening night fireworks show held over the water (At dusk) at Red River Beach. The following morning we returned for the Annual Berry Best Pancake Breakfast at the Pilgrim Congregational Church. This is a 'must share 'event. We laughed at ourselves, diving, like kids, into the mountain of crispy, berry filled pancakes. You can top the pancakes with cranberry honey or the traditional maple syrup. After purchasing bags of fresh cranberries, to freeze for baking, we headed over to the tented field and explored the popular (and crowded) Arts & Craft Fair.

The Fair is billed as one of the best craft shows on the festival circuit. We each found items we couldn't live without. I purchased an original water color directly from the artist and she found a crafter who created beautiful brass door knockers in nautical shapes. The vendors were eager to discuss their craft. Anything you buy, direct from the creator, seems to hold more meaning.

My new festival buddy and I returned the following day to view the old fashion, heart warming Annual Cranberry Parade. Remembering my first time at the parade, I made sure to wave to all the marching members of the Band Parents Club. They deserve appreciation.

The Harwich Cranberry Festival (Harwich, Ma September 14-16, 2007) is not just a celebration of harvest and profits; it is a community wide party. Billed as the "largest, small town festival", the many volunteers of Harwich have been producing the Festival for over 25 years. Profits from the festival go to support the youth of Harwich.
Organizers provide plenty of free parking and shuttle buses to get you to the events. Yahoo ranks this festival as a 4 ½ star event.

On the drive home, my neighbor, a festivals convert asked, "Are there any other festivals we should go to?"

I recommended the Bourne Scallop Festival the following weekend.

We decided to save ourselves from the traffic and took the Cape Cod Central Railroad scenic train, located in Hyannis, to the event. The train trip offers free parking, the hidden beauty offered by a ride along the old railroad tracks and the thrill of sliding over the Cape Cod Canal railroad bridge . The train trip was under an hour and dropped us off at the entrance of the festival in Buzzards Bay.

Hopping off the train you are able to walk right from the depot to the midway. Taking the train also offered us a discount on the package price. Train ride, entrance to the midway and a sumptuous scallop dinner ticket price was only $39.00 for adults and $30.00 for children.

The Bourne Scallop Festival (September 21- 23) is New England's largest festival under the big top. More than 40,000 visitors from all over the world come to the Bourne Scallop Festival every year. Each year there is a new professional Arts & Crafts Show and Home Expo Show, featuring over 130 vendors. The expanded food court includes famous breaded scallops and grilled chicken, clam chowder, burgers, hot dogs, fried dough, sausage and desserts. The roster of fantastic free entertainment is always something special And a midway of rides & games by Fiesta Shows, keeps the youngsters happy.

Our festival sojourns, if we don't gain 20 pounds, can continue throughout October.

The Town of Yarmouth hosts the Yarmouth Seaside Festival on October 6th, 7th and 8th, come sample fare from great local restaurants like Captain Parker's award winning Clam Chowder!

And, if our money holds out we can peruse the craft tents for jewelry, hand-painted furniture, country signs, clothing, holiday decorations, accessories, and more hand-made crafts! Not to mention the food booths. Festival attendance is not for the diet conscious.

Not all regional festivals are about food and crafts. For the more adventurous, there is the popular Provincetown Women's Week Festival, October 5 - 14, 2007.

This week long festival is a 'harvest' of entertainment, not food. Top female comedians, vocalists and jazz groups gather to hone their craft, try out new acts and visit with each other before heading out to; Europe, Vegas or New York to entertain the masses.

This year's roster includes: comedians Michele Balan, of "Last Comic Standing' fame and the politically astute Kate Clinton. Singers; Ptah Brown appears with her Gospel and Blues sound, song writer and performer Zoë Lewis and her "Rubber Band' entertain with wit and pizzazz , Suede , the Internationally acclaimed jazz musician and vocalist extraordinaire promises to bring a new show and all draw huge audiences .

As a cabaret performer, I personally never miss this exciting week. I can't wait to sit in one of the many clubs in Provincetown and listen to the new musical acts or laugh at the comedy material, before it is seen in the clubs or on Comic Central and HBO.

Billed as an annual lesbian event, I've found that just as many straight folks reserve hotel rooms or make the drive to the tip of the Cape during Women's Week.

With my spirit and belly full, I put my festival calendar in the cars' glove compartment, until next fall. Rejuvenated, from my fall of festivals, I face the 'cabin fever', bound to take over during the quieter days ahead, knowing that next year when the air turns crisp, I will do it all again.

When it is over, I will get out the zip lock bags, freeze my cranberries and scallops and search through the cookbooks I purchased for new recipes. With the holidays looming ahead I should be all set for entertaining.

The rich aroma of fresh baked cranberry bread will surely bring back memories of another bountiful fall. A season filled with festivals, fireworks, parades, new friendships, sophisticated comedy and musical 'divas' weaving their magic.