Five Things to Do This Weekend in Newton

Fall is in full-swing, pumpkin spice is everywhere, and the leaves are starting to change color just in time for this weekend’s two-day Newton Harvest Fair.

The weekend is promising sunny skies and mild temperatures in the 60s, making for a great weekend to get out and enjoy the season with the family.

Here are five things to do in Newton this weekend.

Friday, Oct. 13

  • At 3 p.m., Canadian Poet Laureate Louise Bernice Halfe, also known as “Sky Dancer,” who spoke at Monday’s Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, will have a reading and discussion at the Newton Free Library’s Druker Auditorium. Halfe as a child was taken away from her family by the Canadian government and placed in Catholic-run boarding schools where Indigenous children were abused and forbidden to speak their own language. Halfe’s childhood trauma in those facilities has influenced her powetry throughout her life. For more information, email david.gullette@simmons.edu.

Saturday, Oct. 14

  • The first day of the two-day Newton Harvest Fair will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Newton Centre Green. This first day is “Carnival” day for the fair and will feature rides for the kids and carnival food trucks.
  • At 8 p.m. at Grace Church in Newton Corner, Cappella Clausura will honor composer Hilary Tann of Wales (who passed away earlier this year) with a concert of her music set to texts from the psalms and from fellow Welsh poet George Herbert.

Sunday, Oct. 15

  • The second day of the Newton Harvest Fair will be its “Market” day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will feature the full open air-market with food, music, community performances and about 150 vendors and crafters spanning the Newton Centre Green and the Langley Road parking lot. Wegman’s will host a free pumpkin decorating contest, and the Newton Beacon will have a booth as well.
  • From 3 to 5 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church Newton will have a ribbon cutting on its newly restored tower and ring the bells of the refurbished Eldredge Chime. The event will be on the lawn facing Farlow Park at 76 Eldredge St. in Newton Corner. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller will speak, and there will be donuts, cider and entertainment by the Branches Steel Pan Orchestra.