Our Annual Nashoba Valley Pilgrimage

Last Sunday we made our annual trip to the Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, Massachusetts. Circumstances were less than ideal for the trip this year—Maura had Hebrew School until 1:00, Jennifer was not feeling well and the sky was cloudy and threatening rain—and I might have suggested we skip this year if the trip to one of Nashoba Valley’s fall festivals wasn’t a long standing tradition in our family. Maura has been to a Nashoba festival every year of her life and Jennifer and I have been making the trip annually for even longer than that. We were also expecting to meet friends there and we don’t like to disappoint.

I was in a bad mood by the time we arrived. I’m a nervous driver and it was rather a long trip. Traffic was horrible considering it was a Sunday afternoon. Fortunately for me and my family my mood quickly turned around once we had parked the car and located our friends. A snack and conversation started cheering me up and the attractions of the festival finished bringing me around.

The festival we’ve attended the last few years is the Brews and Bluegrass Festival. It features the products of Nashoba Valley’s brewery and the bluegrass music of Southern Rail. I always enjoy both and this year was no exception. The beer is always good and this year I particularly enjoyed the Blueberry Porter. Southern Rail consistently gives a great performance and I enjoy hearing them every year. Someday I might go see them at another venue. Unfortunately their closest performance this year is at a bad time for me and I won’t be able to make it. I may have to check online for their spring and summer schedules.

Maura, as usual, had a great time. Of course she doesn’t drink beer so we’ll have to attend twelve more festivals before she can enjoy a brew with her father but Nashoba offers food and activities for kids. Our family favorite is the caramel covered cider donuts which are very much worth standing in line for. Maura also enjoys the music and playing with her friends. They danced to the music and ran at high speed through the crowd. This last activity did not meet with parental approval and earned Maura a reprimand.

Since we arrived late we stayed until Southern Rail finished their final set and then explored some back roads on the way home to avoid the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Despite the cloudy weather it was a very pretty drive through the countryside. The fall foliage was nearing its peak and the trees were aflame with bright reds and yellows. Perhaps next year we will go that way again, and maybe it will be sunny.