Alicia Mattsson-Bozé and Joy Letendre snuggle with Moosetracks, a baby goat from Cloverbrook Farm.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
EAST LONGMEADOW — About 300 people attended the East Longmeadow Council on Aging’s 2025 “Little E” community fair on Sept. 5. The Little E, a play on the Big E at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds in West Springfield, brings performers, vendors, community organizations and town departments to the Pleasant View Senior Center for entertainment and information.
The crowd listened to music by the duo Baird Souls and watched fire artist Cody Zuidema of Emberlock Performance twirl flaming rope knots and breathe fire. Cloverbrook Farm, based in East Longmeadow, brought a pony named Scout and several baby goats to the fair for people to interact with. Fairgoers shopped at vendor booths, including nuts and eggs from Erickson Farm, photography and woodcrafts from ACL Designs and soy wax candles from Mimi’s Blessings. The Tri-Town Team, which will participate in the Holyoke Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Oct. 26, sold handmade crafts to raise money for the cause.
Among the groups with informational booths at the fair were the Friends of the East Longmeadow Council on Aging, the East Longmeadow Public Library, the Health Department, the National Fire Protection Association and the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department. RSVP of the Pioneer Valley, which connects adults age 55 and older with volunteer opportunities, also set up a table to share information.
Several area businesses that sponsored the event also set up booths including Nurse Advocates, East Village Place, Assisted Living Locators, Integra Health, Health New England and East Longmeadow Campus of Care. Care One handed out free lemonade. There was also a 50/50 raffle to raise money for the Friends of the Council on Aging and a pie eating contest.
Alicia Mattsson-Bozé, program and volunteer coordinator at the Pleasant View Senior Center, thanked the sponsors. The Little E is “a really fun community event,” she said, adding, “We really try to keep everything free for people.” This is the fifth year that the event has been run, and it was the most successful since it began in 2020, Mattsson-Bozé said.
Top row from left: Cody Zuidema of Emberlock Performance blows fire. People ask questions at the booths set up by East Longmeadow Campus of Care and East Village Place, a retirement community, two of the businesses that sponsored the event. Fairgoers make s’mores at the fire table and enjoy popcorn. Bottom: People sit around tables at the Little E community fair.
Reminder Publishing photos by Sarah Heinonen
