GRAFTON — Like many other fall events this year, the Grafton Firefighters Fall Festival Tag Sale has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis. This year would have been the event's 40th anniversary.
However, to keep the tradition alive, the Grafton Fire/Rescue Auxiliary has created a new event: a raffle on Saturday, Oct. 10, the date originally planned for the Tag Sale.
In addition to the raffle, a by-donation to-go hot dog lunch will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as a coin drop and a last chance to buy raffle tickets before the drawing at 3 p.m.
This scaled-down Fall Festival will take place at the Firehouse, 711 Route 121, just east of Grafton Village. Winners need not be present, and the now-familiar COVID-19 safety precautions will be observed.
The cancellation of the tag sale this year will be felt not only by locals and visitors, but also by the firefighters, who will experience a 20-percent loss to their budget as a consequence.
Featured raffle items include a complete Husqvarna 525LK package valued at $2,500 with weed wacker, leaf blower, power paddle, power broom, pruner, brush cutter, and rototiller. A shirt, hat and fuel are also included.
Other raffle items are two one-night B&B stays at the Grafton Inn, a Vermont Country Store gift basket, a fresh-baked cookie each day for 60 days from the MKT Grafton Village Store, a gift basket from the Grafton Village Cheese Company, and a gift basket of colonial reproduction toys made by the Cooperman Fife and Drum Company.
Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20 and are available at the Grafton Garage, MKT Village Store, from Grafton Firefighters, from Amber Stevens at 802-376-5646, and on Oct. 10 at the Grafton Firehouse from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.