Fall Fun at Bloomfield HarvestFest This Weekend

Bloomfield residents and beyond can celebrate 20 years of tradition this weekend at HarvestFest, the town's annual two-day display of fall fun.

As many as 20,000 visitors are expected to make their way through "The Green" along Broad Street from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. HarvestFest, a rain or shine event put on by the Bloomfield Center Alliance, will feature a bevy of local vendors, food, musicians and activities for the kids.

Since taking over planning for the town's largest annual event from the festival's committee a few years ago, the Alliance has been making small adjustments to accommodate its growing popularity.

"We definitely don't want to change it so much that we turn people away and they say, 'This isn't the festival I've gone to for 20 years,'" said Doreen Sarcone, deputy director of the Alliance.

New this year is a mini stage, in addition to the festival's main stage, on which three Bloomfield High Schools bands – What's Fluffy, Surviving the Surburbs and returning guests Two Step with Marlon Brando – will play.

The festival will also have areas dedicated to green and healthy living. Food from well-known Bloomfield restaurants like Senoritas, Gloria's Bar & Grill, Daddy's Southern Kitchen and Juk Gajee will serve food. More than 100-plus vendors will be selling their wares over the weekend.

Looking ahead, the Alliance hopes in future years the festival, originally intended to draw visitors to the downtown area, will attract more Bloomfield-based businesses to participate.

"If we could fill the street with (Bloomfield) busineses, we'd much rather do that," said Sarcone.

The Bloomfield Bicentennial Committee is looking for volunteers for HarvestFest. Contact Michelle Davidson at 973-303-8884 or mshelldavidson@aol.com for more information.