GREENFIELD – In an effort to showcase the city’s “vintage vibe,” local officials are partnering with the Greenfield Business Association to host the inaugural Vintage Days.
“Vintage Days celebrates our city’s rich industrial history, grit and many local businesses that epitomize vintage,” said Mayor RoxannWedegartner. “We hope it will be a fun weekend for all who participate, a boon for the business community and a great launch to an annual event.”
The three-day event kicks off Friday with a classic car show at Court Square at 4:30 p.m., downtown sidewalk sales and the opening of The Goods, a new pop-up store at 357 Main St., featuring The Rainbow Rack.
“I’m looking forward to a lot of it,” said GBA Coordinator Rachel Roberts. “It’s a really eclectic mix, highlighting those vintage vendors as well as the history of Greenfield.”
Roberts said the idea for the event, which she serves as a consultant for, belongs to the mayor.
“She was noticing there was a lot of vintage spaces along Main Street … and the whole kind of vintage vibe around Franklin County,” Roberts said. “With me as a consultant, we pulled it together between the city and the GBA.”
She said there will be trolley rides running hourly from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., a vintage tractor parade, and a barbeque fundraiser at 11 a.m. for the new fire station museum.
“I always try to include different city organizations … to get them involved in things we do,” Roberts said. “I feel like the GBA and the city — we’re working together for the benefit of the community. I was talking to people over at the fire station and … then I was reading the paper about some of the stuff about the museum and funding and the craziness going on … I felt like this was a way we could help.”
Roberts was referencing the new fire station budget shortfall after the receipt of bids last month.
Capt. Alex Cooley said firefighters were grateful for the fundraiser and excited to be part of Vintage Days.
“We’re looking forward to hopefully making it part of a fun event for everybody,” Cooley said.
He said the museum will help to preserve and promote the history of the Fire Department.
“We owe a lot to the firefighters who came before us,” Cooley said. “And this is an opportunity to both preserve and learn from what had happened in the past and honor that history.”
Roberts said she hopes the community is as excited as she is to enjoy the downtown area this weekend.
“I think people are excited to have people roaming around the streets again,” she said. “It’s really an opportunity for us to create a yearly event to really celebrate the roots of Greenfield as well as who we are (today).”
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.
Greenfield “Vintage Days” Schedule
Friday, Sept. 23■4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: Classic Car Show – Court Square
■Downtown sidewalk sales
■The Goods grand opening, 357 Main St.
Saturday, Sept. 24■9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Historic trolley rides
■Vintage Tractor Parade from the Franklin County Fairgrounds to Court Square, with a prize for Best in Show, from 10 to 10:30 a.m. and returning to the Fairgrounds from 12:30 to 1 p.m.
■10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: “Greenfield History Pop-up” with exhibits by Greenfield’s Historic Commission and the Historic Society of Greenfield and demonstrations including flax spinning with Historic Deerfield and blacksmithing by Pierce Street Ironworks on the Common
■10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Open house at the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage on Mead Street
■2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Books and papers appraisal with Steve Finer in the “Antique Tenthouse” on Court Square
Sunday, Sept. 25■11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Barbecue fundraiser for the new fire station museum hosted by the Greenfield Fire Department along with vendors, music, fire truck and safety exhibits
■1:30 to 3 p.m.: Celebrity bartender at Hawks & Reed with vintage drink specials
■3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Swing dancing on Court Square with the O-Tones hosted by Hawks & Reed
A complete listing of Vintage Days events is available at the city’s recently re-launched travel and tourism website, https://visitgreenfieldma.com/.