Despite heavy rain, the fifth annual Heritage Harvest Festival organized by the Friends of Heritage State Park took place on September 27th and 28th, 2008. The event marked the 25th anniversary of  25th anniversary of the Friends group as well as the park. The city's trolley provided shuttle service between the Park and the Gates of the City where a tribute to John Philip Sousa was taking place on Sunday afternoon. The local Hills Mills Clown Band traveled in the trolley  between the two events to attract visitors to both festivals. The event included live music by Abbey Rhode, Freddie and the Maybellines, the Northeast Navy Band, Chad Burdick, the Mike Moran Band and Brass Attack. Co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Friends of Heritage State Park, the event also included arts and crafts and children's activities. Click here for pictures of the 2005 Harvest Festival. Click here to read the Herald News article about the event. For information about the Friends of Heritage State Park, contact Paul Simister at 508-353-0416.
 

(Top row, left) The Hills Mills Comedy Clown Band provides a musical welcome to festival-goers as they cross the footbridge to Heritage State Park. (Top row, center) Bishop Connolly student, Jaimie Almeida, hands a pumpkin to six-year-old Hannah Dutcher while her three-year-old sister Cheyenne and father Shane look on. (Top row, right) Dolores Silvia, Victoria Botelho, Anita Boivin,  Doris Botelho, and Gayle Velozo, all Friends of Heritage State Park, display their home-baked apple pies. The apples came from Noquochoke Orchard in Westport. (Middle row, left) Five-year-old Jacquelyn Viveros gets assistance with decorating her pumpkin from her grandfather David Viveros. (Middle row, right) Three-and-a-half-year-old Miuna Bourajia gets help from her father, Pierre, in assembling a display rack. (Bottom row, left) Don and Mary Partington of Somerset greet visitors as Don works on a sign carved in wood. (Bottom row, center) Seven-year-old Justin Frederick stands by as his other brother, Ryan, gets help with his construction project from Jeff Silvia of the Somerset Home Depot. (Bottom row, right) Nine-year-old Daniel Andrade II finishes eating his blueberry pie before eleven-year-old contestant Christopher Medeiros in the pie eating contest.