NEPM’s signature outdoor event returns to the Hadley Town Common
The family-friendly NEPM Asparagus Festival celebrates the region's agricultural heritage with fantastic local food, drink, music, games, and fun.
May 11, 2023, SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Now in its ninth year, the New England Public Media Asparagus Festival returns on Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The family-friendly festival spans the full length of Hadley’s Town Common and offers a full day of fantastic local food, drink, music, games, and fun.
Known as “the asparagus capital of the world,” western Massachusetts is home to hundreds of working farms and many more locally-owned restaurants and breweries. Many Pioneer Valley natives recall early childhood mornings spent picking asparagus with farmers during the annual harvest.
Live music curated by Northampton-based Signature Sounds on the Rooted in the Valley Stage will feature a selection of musical acts, including gritty and raw folk-rock outfit The Wolff Sisters, New England Music Award-nominated bluegrass act Poor Monroe, and local old-school funk and neo-soul band Soul Magnets.
Kid-friendly performers include award-winning bilingual artist, author, activist, educator, and Amherst College grad MISTER G and the Global Citizen Ensemble with Marcos Carreras, director of music at the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts Magnet School. PBS Kids characters Curious George and Molly from “Molly of Denali” will be on site for photos. The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association's Jurassic Roadshow will teach kids about the geologic history of the region.
New this year, a special Saturday episode of “The Fabulous 413” with Monte Belmonte and Kaliis Smith will broadcast live directly from the NEPM Asparagus Festival.
Over 100 local food, crafts, cultural, nonprofit and agricultural vendors will be represented at the festival’s Farmers & Makers Market. Local breweries will pour beer, wine and cider in the Beers & Spears tent and more than a dozen local food trucks will serve up everything from fried asparagus to ice cream.
The Hadley Town Common is right on the Norwottuck Rail Trail and attendees are encouraged to ride bikes to the festival and take advantage of MassBike’s free bicycle valet service.
The NEPM Asparagus Festival is a free event for all to enjoy with a suggested donation of $5 per person or $20 per family to support public media in western Massachusetts. We encourage attendees to preregisterto skip the line at the gate — you might even win a prize.
All festival-goers who preregister for the event will receive free ice cream from Hadley's Flayvors of Cook Farm. New members can choose the special Asparagus Festival Pass. You’ll get access to PBS Passport, an NEPM tote bag and pair of socks, an NEPM Kids Day T-shirt, stickers, and a bottle of water to keep you hydrated — all for only $60. Pre-registration is available here.
More information about the NEPM Asparagus Festival is available at nepm.org/asparagus.
The NEPM Asparagus Festival is sponsored by Greenfield Savings Bank, River Valley Co-Op, Pekarski’s Sausage, the Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council, Northeast Solar, PV Squared, TommyCar Auto Group, Valley Solar and Flayvors of Cook Farm.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette, MassLive/The Republican, El Pueblo Latino and Reminder Publications are media sponsors.
A special thank you to the Town of Hadley and Flayvors of Cook Farm!
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA
New England Public Media is a community-supported, independent non-profit organization based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Through a deep commitment to independent local journalism, trusted educational content, inspired cultural offerings, and civic engagement, NEPM endeavors to share new voices and inspire new conversations. It provides audiences with a broad array of local and national programs across all media —TV, radio, online, and mobile, including PBS and NPR programs as well as locally produced series, podcasts and specials. Its four digital TV channels, and two radio networks present news, jazz and classical music, documentaries, talk, drama, plus cultural and educational programming.
For more information, visit nepm.org or follow NEPM on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
MEDIA CONTACT
Vanessa Cerillo
Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Events
New England Public Media
413-735-6605
vanessa_cerillo@nepm.org