EAST LONGMEADOW —Each September, families, friends and neighbors meet at Center Field in East Longmeadow to indulge in a quintessential New England tradition, the community fall fair.
The East Longmeadow Rotary Club uses the opportunity to appreciate the small town it calls home, bestowing the fair with the name Celebrate EL.
“It’s just basically a family fun festival to have people come out, bump into neighbors they haven’t seen in a while,” Rotarian Adele Hill said of Celebrate EL, which takes place Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. She opined that the fair offers an alternative to the crowds and commotion of the Big E in West Springfield.
To be sure, there is plenty to do at Celebrate EL. There will be more than 60 vendors this year, twice as many as in 2024. Hill said the vendors’ booths make it easy to get a jump on holiday shopping. Some activities — pumpkin carving, hayrides, games of skill and chance — can be found every year. The First Congressional Church at the rotary will sponsor bounce houses, while Freedom Credit Union sponsors a rock wall for those who want to climb.
This year, the K9 units of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department will demonstrate the training, skills and partnership of the officers and their dogs. There will also be a canine sporting and obedience training demonstration. Little ones can experience what it is like to be a first responder by touring emergency vehicles and participating in a junior fire academy. Children are encouraged to dress up and enter the event’s costume contest. There will also be a mini haunted trailer for families to walk through.
Hill said the East Longmeadow High School lacrosse team has volunteered to paint faces, while the school’s robotics team will be displaying some of its skills. Several town departments will also have booths at the fair.
The number of people who attend the fair varies from year to year depending on the weather, from about 500 to more than 1,000. Hill said the theme of Celebrate EL is always the same: “Come join the fun!”
