Smiling faces fill Chester’s 39th Annual Fall Festival

The  sun shone bright on Saturday, and broke through a cloudy Sunday, enough to keep food vendors and craftspeople busy and shoppers and tourists visiting the Rotary Club of Chester’s 39th Annual Fall Festival on the Green. Craftsmen and women from Chester and beyond dotted the Green, demonstrating their art. Filling the air were the aromas of fried dough, pulled barbecue pork, grilled burger and hot dogs and fresh squeezed lemonade. The mews of the cats and kittens at The Animal Rescue and Protection Society booth could barely be heard above the din of the crowd. Besides food — including a variety of fudge, honey and offerings from both Chester-Andover Elementary and Green Mountain Union High, shoppers could buy gifts of all types. Handmade jewelry, woolen mittens and leg warmers, baby clothes, handblown glass, paintings and photography and more were on sale.  Take a tour of the weekend events. All photos by Cynthia Prairie. Click on any photo to launch the gallery.

From left, Rotarians Malcolm Summers and Ron Theissen flank basketmaker and vendor Ray LaGasse at the Rotary’s famous soup booth, which offered a huge array of soups, stews and chili.

Doug Caum, owner of Madera Woodworks in Chester, shows off his beautiful and utilitarian pieces.

Potter Susan Leader of Andover instructs Felicia Rowe of Grafton as she takes a turn at the potters wheel.

Kami Golembeski of Snow Angel Alpacas of Bondville at the spinning wheel.

Chester dollmaker Bonnie Watters, seated, speaks with customers at her Bonnie’s Bundles Dolls booth on Sunday. Her huband, artist Lew Watters, carries a portfolio behind her.

Customers check out the handblown art glass and glassware at Nick Kekic’s Tsuga Studio booth. Tsuga Studio is based in Chester.

Clockwise from top left are Green Mountain Union High seniors Brighton Bischofberger, Keegan Sheere, Leah Bodin and Emily Tornquist preparing dough for the Class of 2014’s in-demand fried dough stand.

From left, Chester firefighters Mark Verespy, owner of the Killarney Irish Pub in Ludlow and ‘Red’ man the department’s busy hamburger and hot dog grill, complete with peppers and onions and a lot of humor.

Stopping for lemonades are Michael Alon, left, and his ketchup-loving son Hayden, as they head back to the Alons’ shop on the Green, DaVallia Art and Accents, after picking up some lunch at the firefighters’ grill.

Photographer and special educator Tisa VanDine plays her mandolin at her booth.

Lempster, N.H., basketmaker Ray LaGasse continues to demostrate his craft through all the shoppers.

Author and former radio newsman Steve Delaney speaks with visitors in front of Misty Valley Books on Sunday.

Two customers speak with Jen Cayer of Strong Roots catering about her menu, which included homemade felafel and spicy ban mi sandwiches.

The TARPS booth certainly had to be one of the busiest. Afterall, it was filled with cats and kittens, attracting a good share in interest, pets and purrs. Several animals were adopted during the weekend.