By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — A picture-perfect blue sky day filled with sunshine greeted the hundreds who attended last Saturday’s Apple Festival in the heart of the town’s Center Village Historic District — the grounds of the Rev. Daniel Putnam House at 27 Bow St.
There were vendors galore selling all sorts of goods, wares , art and food; the winners of the classic apple pie contest were chosen, the Society sold out of its slices of apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream and the Minit and Militia sold out of all their hamburgers and hotdogs. The day was also filled with musical entertainment — from solo performers to choruses ranging from young children (multi-church choir) to senior citizens (Senior Echoes) plus two high school a cappella groups and the high school band. Cervizzi’s Martial Arts students performed as did the cardio drummers of the North Reading Senior Center.
The event opened with the national anthem sung by special guest Abbey Romeo, a start of the Emmy award-winning show, “Love On The Spectrum.” After introducing the award-winning NRHS marching band, Abbey greeted fans and took selfies with them and even sang some of her favorite Disney tunes for them. She spent many happy summers visiting her grandparents, the late Frank and Pat Romeo, in North Reading, along with her many cousins, aunts and uncles, and was happy to make a donation in her grandparents’ memory to the Historical Society.
Sponsored by the North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society, for the past 31 years the Apple Festival has served as the largest single day fundraiser for the volunteer group that preserves the town’s historical gems such as the 1720 Putnam House, the big reg barn and all the other buildings on the town property that have been restored by the Minit and Militia over many decades, including the circa 1845 West Village Schoolhouse, the Sgt. Flint House, the Tin and Cobbler’s Shop and the town’s Farm Museum.
VAN LAETHEM WINDMILL DEDICATED
The newest addition to the town’s historic gems was dedicated during the Apple Festival — the Van Laethem Farm windmill — after a more than three-year restoration effort on the grounds. The original windmill was saved by Mark Hall back in 1986, noted Bob Snyder, when the Ridgeway Estates subdivision was under construction off Winter Street. Hall loaded it into his 1986 dump truck and brought it to his family’s property on Upton Avenue where it remained for decades.
Snyder recalled each stage of the process that it took to rebuild the circa 1905 Dandy windmill with precisely re-fabricated metal parts and restoring the gears and the pump as well as the wooden structure that supports the windmill. They even needed to bring a crane on-site to place the windmill onto the platform.
Jackie (Van Laethem) Galvin, a direct descendant who grew up on the farm and who still lives on Haverhill Street with her husband Ed, attended the ceremony along with their daughter, Sandy Aguiar, and their grandchildren, Rick and Jordan Aguiar. Jackie recalled playing underneath the original windmill as a child. Also in attendance were State Rep. Brad Jones, Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto and Select Board Chairman Stephen O’Leary.
“A record crowd, picture perfect weather, great music, as well as amazing artists, crafters, and vendors made this year’s Apple Festival one of the best. It embodies what we all love about North Reading: our strong sense of community, great public spaces, and commitment to volunteerism. It was a day of smiles and fun for all ages that brings together every segment of our town, from seniors to students, from new parents to empty nesters, from longtime residents to new arrivals,” commented Historical Society President Matthew T. Page.
“One of my favorite moments of the day was looking over to see NRMS and NRHS students volunteering their time to make the
festival so special for all the little kids by doing face painting and helping them look for candy hidden in the hay pile. The same teens told me that they have happy memories of doing the same activities at the Apple Festival when they were little, and wanted to help keep those happy childhood traditions alive,” Page added.
Page offered his thanks to everyone who attended the event as well as all of the volunteers, sponsors and those who provided in-kind donations — all of which contributed to the more than $4,000 that was raised “to support the Historical Society’s efforts to preserve and protect local history,” he said, adding, “Over the next year, we’ll be using those funds to improve the Putnam House as a museum, including installing a permanent top-quality exhibit on North Reading history on the second floor of the house.”
CLASSIC APPLE PIE CONTEST RESULTS
• Adult Winner: Stephanie Tannian (prize: Stop & Shop gift card and North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society merch)
• Adult Runner-up: Kim Begley (prize: Ryer’s gift card, North Reading Dairy Queen gift certificate, North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society merch)
• Youth Winner: Ryan Constantine (prize: Ryer’s Gift Card, NR Dairy Queen gift certificate, North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society merch)
Page noted that “Ryan’s pie scored the highest with the judges in the blind taste test out of all the pies entered in the contest!”
2025 APPLE FESTIVAL RAFFLE WINNERS
Gift Cards raffle winners: Market Basket: Tina Bagnera; China Cuisine: Kathy Bythrow; Kitty’s Restaurant: Jillian Cerquiera; Sassy Paws Pet Styles: Kristen Louanis; Nan’s Cafe: Rhiana Champoux; Hillview Golf Course: Casey McPherson; Sitting Pretty Dog Walking: Olga Falzone; Avon Beauty: Kristen Louanis; Home Depot: Bill Cassell; Emma’s Classic Cuts: Sue O’Leary; Casa Blanca Restaurant: Anne Cavalieri; Nick’s Place: Karen Woods.
50/50 RAFFLE WINNER: Jami Tencati
2025 APPLE FESTIVAL
SILENT AUCTION WINNERS
• “Welcome Slate” (acrylic on slate from the Flint Memorial Hall) by Angela Mauceri was won by Anna Wong
• “Tipsy Rose” (photography) by Nancy Stewart was won by Isabelle K. Brown
• “Swanboat” (watercolor) by Louise Anderson was won by Geoff Graves
• “Apple Blossom” (stained glass) Rose Hill Glass by Stephanie Racine was won by Lauren K. Kotwal
• “Saltbox with Blue Door” (acrylic on canvas) by Suzanne Carroll Korn was won by Lauren K. Kotwal
• “Waiting” (watercolor) by Marcia Cutlip was won by Kerstin March
• “Beaded Giraffe” (wire and beads) by Rosemary Chimgbanda was won by Lauren K. Kotwal
• “Beaded Giraffe and Little One” (wire and beads)
By Rosemary Chimgbanda was won by Kerstin March
• “Hummingbird” (photography) by Chris Cummings was won by Joe Dillon
• “The Road Less Traveled” (oil) by Cheryl Warner Foley was won by Holly Fritz-Palao
2025 APPLE FESTIVAL RAFFLE WINNERS
• “The Tin Man” (watercolor) by Sandra Panico was won by Steve Mills
• “Nightmare” (watercolor) by Sandra Panico was won by Jordan Brooks
• “Cowardly Lion” (watercolor) by Sandra Panico was won by Jessica Caverno
• “Dorothy” (watercolor) by Sandra Panico was won by Sharon Mills
• “Scarecrow” (watercolor) by Sandra Panico was won by Sue Locke
• “Harvest Jumper” (watercolor) by Sandra Panico was won by Alison Alwyn
• Woven bag (Moss Creek Weaving) by Ellen Germann was won by Kerstin March
• “Little White (and no so) Lies” (letter press and handmade book) by Ashley Pelletier was won by Jordan Brooks
• “Dream Catcher” by Rebecca Collier was won by Jessica Caverno
• “Les Fruit” (hand painted acrylic on wood tray) by
Lisa Coffill was won by Karen E. McCullough
• “Wild Swans of Chesapeake” (framed puzzle – copy) donated by Anna Wong was won by Alison Alwyn
• “Snowmass, Colorado” (photography–copy) donated by Anna Wong was won by Scott Stimpson
• “Flower Peacock” (embroidered silk) donated by Anna Wong was won by Jessica O’Connor
• “Old Quebec City, Canada” (pen and ink–copy)
donated by Anna Wong was won by Ana Platenik
• “The Landing” (photography–copy) donated by Matthew Page was won by Nick Secatore
• “Waterfall” (acrylic–copy) donated by Matthew Page was won by Jessica O’Connor
• “Bridle Path” (watercolor–copy) donated by Matthew Page was won by Maxwell Murphy
• “Birds” (pen and ink–copy) donated by Matthew Page was won by Kerstin March
• “Lady in White” (sepia–copy) donated by Matthew Page was won by Scott Stimpson
• “Lady in Blue” (sepia–copy) donated by Matthew Page was won by Jessica O’Connor
• “USS Maine” (pen and ink–copy) donated by Matthew Page was won by Matthew Ouellette.
HELP PRESERVE TOWN HISTORY
“The Society is an all-volunteer group that is 100 percent supported by local donations. Anyone who interested in or just appreciates our mission—to preserve, protect, and share local history—should check out our excellent website (nreadinghistory.org), attend one of our evening speaker programs, sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, and support our work by making a small annual membership donation,” Page said.
See more event photos here.