Groton’s 69th Annual Fall Foliage Festival: When the Town Dresses Up for Everyone
October 09, 2025
Joshua Smith
“It’s important to continue to foster a sense of community and togetherness. It’s a New England tradition of everyone getting together.”
— Aaron Smith, Groton Fire Chief
Every October, just as the maples burst into fiery reds and the hillsides settle into their golden glow, Groton does what it’s done for generations: it dresses up for everyone.
For one day each year, this small town in the southwestern corner of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom transforms into something both deeply familiar and quietly magical. Streets fill with neighbors, visitors, and returning families. The air carries the mingled scents of baked goods, autumn leaves, and wood smoke. It’s part reunion, part fair, part homecoming.
The 69th Annual Fall Foliage Festival wasn’t just another event on the calendar. It was living proof that some traditions aren’t merely remembered — they’re relived.
A Morning That Tastes Like Home
Long before the parade or the vendors set up, folks were already filing into the basement of the Methodist Church for the annual lumberjack breakfast, a fixture of festival morning for as long as anyone can remember.
The menu is unapologetically hearty: pancakes, sausage, biscuits and gravy, doughnuts, and pie. It’s the kind of breakfast that doesn’t just fill you up — it anchors you. Generations have started their festival day at those tables, catching up over steaming cups of coffee while kids sneak extra doughnuts when they think no one’s watching.
Main Street Comes Alive
By mid-morning, downtown Groton was buzzing. Over 40 vendors filled Main Street, a colorful mix of local craftspeople, bakers, and community groups. Handmade goods sat beside jars of homemade jam. Students from local schools sold baked treats and raffle tickets to raise funds for their class projects.
The Baptist Church bake sale was, as always, a destination of its own. Pies, cookies, and breads lined long tables like trophies of neighborly pride. Many of those recipes haven’t changed in decades — and that’s exactly how folks like them.
It’s the kind of Main Street scene that could’ve taken place fifty years ago or last weekend. Old friends stop mid-street to talk, shop owners lean in their doorways, and the rhythm of conversation rolls like the nearby hills.
Parade Magic on Route 302
At 1:30 p.m., Route 302 shut down for thirty minutes as the parade took over. There’s nothing flashy about Groton’s parade — and that’s precisely why it’s so beloved.
The school band led the way, followed by fire trucks, tractors pulling themed floats, and plenty of kids waving proudly from hay bales. Families lined the sidewalks bundled in sweaters, cider in hand, cheering as neighbors rolled by.
For Groton Fire Chief Aaron Smith, moments like this define the festival.
“It’s important to continue to foster a sense of community and togetherness,” he said. “It’s a New England tradition of everyone getting together.”
Up the Road a Bit
Just up the road a bit, the Upper Valley Grill hosted the annual pumpkin weigh-in. It’s a friendly kind of competition — the kind that makes everyone grin. This year’s bragging rights went to Calvin Lang, who tipped the scales with a 184-pound pumpkin. It wasn’t just a pumpkin; it was a testament to patience, care, and a bit of local pride.
A Supper That Defines a Town
As the sun dipped behind the hills, all roads led to the Groton Community Building, where the world-famous Chicken Pie Supper capped the day.
Three seatings — 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 — along with take-out at 5, 6, and 7 — meant a steady stream of hungry festival-goers filed through the doors. The smell of chicken, biscuits, and gravy filled the building, wrapping everyone in something both familiar and comforting.
“It’s like coming home,” said Michelle Emerson Kalnins, BMU class advisor. “You get to see all the people you grew up with, you get to see all the buildings you grew up with. All the families come back. It’s a great time here in Groton.”
The Chicken Pie Supper isn’t just a meal. It’s an anchor. People plan their weekends, even their travel, around it. Proceeds from ticket sales support scholarships for local high school seniors, the library, and other community projects. It’s generosity served alongside supper.
Neighbors Supporting Neighbors
Over at the library, programs ran throughout the day, reminding everyone that this festival isn’t only about tradition — it’s about community action.
“It is a wonderful opportunity to support our neighbors,” said Sarah Spira, town librarian. “And gather with our neighbors and support local businesses and organizations and celebrate the passing of the season.”
Her words ring true. Groton’s festival is more than food, music, and parades. It’s a seasonal ritual — a way for the town to check in with itself, to reconnect, to show visitors and former residents what “home” still means.
A Town, Unchanged at Its Core
I grew up here. Walking down Main Street during the Fall Foliage Festival, I see new faces, new storefronts, a few changes here and there. But at its core, Groton hasn’t changed. The same hills rise behind the town. The same church basements hum with chatter. The same floats roll past under autumn skies.
For 69 years, this festival has marked not just the turning of the leaves, but the steady rhythm of a community that shows up for one another. It’s where memory and the present meet.
And long after the last chicken pie is served and the vendors pack up their tables, the feeling of the day lingers — like the warm, golden light on the hillsides that surround this little Vermont town.
— Aaron Smith, Groton Fire Chief
Every October, just as the maples burst into fiery reds and the hillsides settle into their golden glow, Groton does what it’s done for generations: it dresses up for everyone.
For one day each year, this small town in the southwestern corner of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom transforms into something both deeply familiar and quietly magical. Streets fill with neighbors, visitors, and returning families. The air carries the mingled scents of baked goods, autumn leaves, and wood smoke. It’s part reunion, part fair, part homecoming.
The 69th Annual Fall Foliage Festival wasn’t just another event on the calendar. It was living proof that some traditions aren’t merely remembered — they’re relived.
A Morning That Tastes Like Home
Long before the parade or the vendors set up, folks were already filing into the basement of the Methodist Church for the annual lumberjack breakfast, a fixture of festival morning for as long as anyone can remember.
The menu is unapologetically hearty: pancakes, sausage, biscuits and gravy, doughnuts, and pie. It’s the kind of breakfast that doesn’t just fill you up — it anchors you. Generations have started their festival day at those tables, catching up over steaming cups of coffee while kids sneak extra doughnuts when they think no one’s watching.
Main Street Comes Alive
By mid-morning, downtown Groton was buzzing. Over 40 vendors filled Main Street, a colorful mix of local craftspeople, bakers, and community groups. Handmade goods sat beside jars of homemade jam. Students from local schools sold baked treats and raffle tickets to raise funds for their class projects.
The Baptist Church bake sale was, as always, a destination of its own. Pies, cookies, and breads lined long tables like trophies of neighborly pride. Many of those recipes haven’t changed in decades — and that’s exactly how folks like them.
It’s the kind of Main Street scene that could’ve taken place fifty years ago or last weekend. Old friends stop mid-street to talk, shop owners lean in their doorways, and the rhythm of conversation rolls like the nearby hills.
Parade Magic on Route 302
At 1:30 p.m., Route 302 shut down for thirty minutes as the parade took over. There’s nothing flashy about Groton’s parade — and that’s precisely why it’s so beloved.
The school band led the way, followed by fire trucks, tractors pulling themed floats, and plenty of kids waving proudly from hay bales. Families lined the sidewalks bundled in sweaters, cider in hand, cheering as neighbors rolled by.
For Groton Fire Chief Aaron Smith, moments like this define the festival.
“It’s important to continue to foster a sense of community and togetherness,” he said. “It’s a New England tradition of everyone getting together.”
Up the Road a Bit
Just up the road a bit, the Upper Valley Grill hosted the annual pumpkin weigh-in. It’s a friendly kind of competition — the kind that makes everyone grin. This year’s bragging rights went to Calvin Lang, who tipped the scales with a 184-pound pumpkin. It wasn’t just a pumpkin; it was a testament to patience, care, and a bit of local pride.
A Supper That Defines a Town
As the sun dipped behind the hills, all roads led to the Groton Community Building, where the world-famous Chicken Pie Supper capped the day.
Three seatings — 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 — along with take-out at 5, 6, and 7 — meant a steady stream of hungry festival-goers filed through the doors. The smell of chicken, biscuits, and gravy filled the building, wrapping everyone in something both familiar and comforting.
“It’s like coming home,” said Michelle Emerson Kalnins, BMU class advisor. “You get to see all the people you grew up with, you get to see all the buildings you grew up with. All the families come back. It’s a great time here in Groton.”
The Chicken Pie Supper isn’t just a meal. It’s an anchor. People plan their weekends, even their travel, around it. Proceeds from ticket sales support scholarships for local high school seniors, the library, and other community projects. It’s generosity served alongside supper.
Neighbors Supporting Neighbors
Over at the library, programs ran throughout the day, reminding everyone that this festival isn’t only about tradition — it’s about community action.
“It is a wonderful opportunity to support our neighbors,” said Sarah Spira, town librarian. “And gather with our neighbors and support local businesses and organizations and celebrate the passing of the season.”
Her words ring true. Groton’s festival is more than food, music, and parades. It’s a seasonal ritual — a way for the town to check in with itself, to reconnect, to show visitors and former residents what “home” still means.
A Town, Unchanged at Its Core
I grew up here. Walking down Main Street during the Fall Foliage Festival, I see new faces, new storefronts, a few changes here and there. But at its core, Groton hasn’t changed. The same hills rise behind the town. The same church basements hum with chatter. The same floats roll past under autumn skies.
For 69 years, this festival has marked not just the turning of the leaves, but the steady rhythm of a community that shows up for one another. It’s where memory and the present meet.
And long after the last chicken pie is served and the vendors pack up their tables, the feeling of the day lingers — like the warm, golden light on the hillsides that surround this little Vermont town.
The Morning always starts with the Lumberjack Breakfast in the basement of the Groton United Methodist Church.
Amid the bustle outside, Librarian Sarah Spira leads a cozy reading hour for children, sharing stories by local authors and offering a welcome break from the festival excitement.
Bake Sale goodies: United Methodist women L-r) Betty Rainford Brenda Powers Babs Smith Kathy Crum Pastor Pam Smith
Children explore a sea of donated new clothing laid out by the Groton Baptist Church, offered freely to families or by donation.
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