Yesterday’s Harvest Festival once again found our Washington Heights community gathered at Bennett Park in the beautiful sunny weather to celebrate all things fall: pumpkins, haybales, scarecrows, cupcakes, spin art, pies, live music, Gone Fishin’, burlap bag races, face painting, coffee, apples and donuts!  A whole lot of families showed up to enjoy the totally free event, thanks to neighborhood businesses that graciously gave their time, money, food and supplies.  Several kids I know spent the day running up to me with their plastic spider rings or glow-in-the-dark vampire fangs as if these things were marvelous treasures.  I smiled and quietly said a prayer that their cheap new toy wouldn’t fall apart in three minutes, reminded of how easy children are to please.  My job was to gather and organize the volunteers, and as I looked around the park at over 100 moms and dads proudly wearing their orange shirts and bringing fun energy to their craft/game/activity/what have you,  I once again felt very happy to live amongst them.  So if you’re reading this, you wonderful volunteer you, I hope you’re feeling the love.

One of our highlights was meeting actor Matt “Harry” Wilson from the PBS show “Cyberchase” who was our celebrity pie contest judge.  Being one of the nicest people on earth, he sat on Manhattan’s highest natural point with Huck and me for a few minutes while the two of them searched for Huck’s favorite element (Hydrogen) on his Periodic Table of Elements belt.  A periodic table of elements belt!!! Cyberchase will never be the same.

The only problem we tired, dusty organizers faced was getting folks to leave the park so we could clean up.  Our wonderful neighborhood face painter Donetta continued to decorate little cheeks for two hours after the festival officially ended because her line was so darn long.  We felt very badly about this, and while talking about it at home Huck gave the following suggestion: Next year we should have underground compartments that people stand in holding signs that say HARVEST FESTIVAL IS CLOSED.  At 4:00 bells would ring and the people in the compartments would then push a button and pop up to the surface, thus telling all the people to go home.

We’ll take it under consideration, Huck.  Thanks for all your help.