In its ninth year, the Harvest Moon Festival has become one of Malden’s most important celebrations. Local businesses, musicians, and guests alike filled up Fellsmere Park on Sept. 14, 2013, bringing along tents, trains, and live horses.
The Harvest Moon Festival has taken place annually for the last eight years, usually hosted by the Oak Grove Improvement Association (OGIA) and the Chinese Culture Connection (CCC). This year, however, the OGIA hosted the festival on its own. The festival celebrates the coming of autumn and the harvest, a recurring theme in many cultures during the fall season. As the actual date of the harvest moon phenomena approaches, this festival celebrates its fruits four days early, bringing together various cultures and making a memorable event for Malden.
With help from Malden Access Television (MATV) and its executive director Ron Cox, various performers were able to perform on stage, with appearances by singers, dancers, and a jazz band.
Those on stage, however, were not the only musically oriented guests at the festival; local radio station 105.7 WROR and the Shen Yun Orchestra also sent representatives to advertise their work. Children could spend their time cruising on a small train ride set up at the side of the pond, or ride horses at the top of the hill. The OGIA set up a pumpkin patch, as they had in the previous years, allowing guests to make art out of pumpkins.
Appearances were made by the Redbones truck, which allowed by passers to sample their own foods, state Senator Catherine Clarke, who is running for Congress, and the CCC, who promoted their Chinese culture programs.
Malden Mayor Gary Christenson was “thrilled” to be present at the festival. He appreciates “events like these that make Malden grow. Hats off to the Oak Grove Improvement Association... for making this longstanding tradition continue.”
