By Christine Galeone

The days are getting brighter. And the howling bitter winds have transformed into soothing warm breezes. The most beautiful part of spring recently arrived.

With its arrival, more people are emerging from the darkness of winter and stepping into the light of spring. They’re also reuniting with friends, family and neighbors while enjoying much-needed green time. And Grafton businesses and organizations are helping them to do so.

From April 14 through April 19, the Grafton Garden Club held an incredibly successful Grafton Clean-Up. The club organized the event, in which many volunteer teams – including ones from the Grafton Garden Club, the Grafton Historical Society, the Grafton Land Trust, Troop 2019, Sustainable Grafton and the GAIN program – removed trash from local roads, parks and playgrounds. Event sponsors included Pepperoni Express, Swirls & Scoops, Savers Bank, UniBank and the Grafton DPW.  

Beginning Wednesday June 18, people can come together to appreciate the outdoors while supporting small businesses. The Grafton Farmers Market, which will be held every Wednesday from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. will return for the season on that day. It’s returning to the Grafton Common. With a variety of vendors (which vary each week), the volunteer-run market works hard to achieve its goal of providing “fresh, local food directly from farmers to consumers.” Its vendors offer an array of local produce, baked goods, jams, syrups, candy, natural skincare items, handcrafted gifts and more.  

Grafton Recreation recently announced that one of its popular free fun family events will return next month. On Saturday June 21 from 10 a.m. until noon – with 10 to 11 being sensory friendly – at Millbury Street Elementary School, kids can explore a variety of big rigs during Big Truck Day. 

Another anticipated event is happening in town Saturday, June 14. Starting at 9 in the morning and going until 3 p.m. is the 57th Annual Antiques and Arts Fair, which will be held on the Grafton Common. Admission is $5.00. A fundraiser for the Grafton Historical Society, the fair will feature antiques and collectibles vendors. There will also be antique appraisals (for a small fee) and live music by the Kelly Clark Trio. A Paradise BBQ food truck will also be there.

Finally, for people who would like to buy Memorial Day plants/flowers, there are at least three Grafton businesses that sell beautiful flowers. They can be found at Perreault Nursery & Landscape Supply in North Grafton, Koopman Lumber in North Grafton and at Pete’s Oasis at Blackstone River Farm in South Grafton.

Canopies of vibrant green amidst an azure sky. Robins, blue jays and cardinals flitting in and out of the trees. Green time in Grafton can be sublime. And as we appreciate the freedom to enjoy the outdoors, we also deeply appreciate the freedom that so many of our brave military members gave their lives to protect.   

Contact Christine with your business news items at [email protected].