As the weather cools and autumn arrives, towns around Franklin County are reprising their annual festival traditions over the coming weeks.

Erving

Organizers of this year’s Erving Fall Festival, to be held Saturday, Sept. 23, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Field, plan to have the fun last twice as long as last year. The tradition, which is around two decades old, has historically drawn hundreds of attendees, according to Recreation Commissioner Jacquelyn Boyden and Recreation Assistant Breta Petraccia. The Recreation Commission hopes between 300 and 400 people will attend this year.

Games and more than 20 vendors, craftspeople and local service organizations will be available until 3 p.m., while a beer garden and food — courtesy of All Things Maple — will be available throughout the duration of the festival.

Highlighting the event will be a 3 p.m. dedication ceremony of Park Street Park, a decision prompted by the installation of new playground equipment, according to Boyden and Petraccia. The park, which is a block away from Veterans Memorial Park at Central and Park streets, will be renamed “Hammock Park.”

“We had a call for suggestions from the public, and ultimately, the Hammocks were selected because of their many years of service to the town of Erving,” Boyden and Petraccia summarized in an email. “The dedication ceremony will be brief and we will offer our thank you for the Hammocks’ many years of service and support for the community.”

Back at Veterans Memorial Field, DJ Greg Stewart will continue the fun at 4 p.m. by spinning music. Snow’s Ice Cream will begin serving at 5 p.m., while a bonfire will commence at 6:30 p.m.

Gill

Gill’s Harvest Festival will be held Sunday, Sept. 24, from noon to 3 p.m. on the town common. Here, farms and craftspeople will sell their products; the Historical Commission will present town history; children can climb a tractor or hop aboard a hay ride; Gill firefighters will provide food and drinks, including hand-cut French fries; and folks can enter a door prize raffle to win an Earth Machine backyard compost bin. Live music will provide a soundtrack for the occasion.

Each year, the Harvest Festival draws in around 100 people, according to Ray Steele, former chair of the Agricultural Commission, which organizes the event.

Northfield

In Northfield, a group of residents associated with the Northfield Tool Lending Library will host the third annual Cider Days and Fall Fest.

The event, scheduled to take place Saturday, Oct. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the West Northfield Playground on Route 142, will feature food vendors and music. Guests can bring apples and an empty jug and operate the cider press (or a volunteer will do it for you). Apples will also be available to those who don’t bring their own.

“The cider press that we use was a gift to the Northfield Tool Lending Library,” said Shirley Keech, one of the organizers. “Once we had that, I thought, ‘This is too good not to share.’ We do loan it to folks in town that have backyard apple trees, but we pull this out each year now to get the community together.”

The event itself is free, but donations for the Northfield Tool Lending Library will be collected.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com. Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.