Today I looked through a few different websites on a few
different things related to my fieldstudy on AutumnFest. The first site I came across was actually a
recent article from one of the local area newspapers, The Valley Breeze. The article is written by a man who was in
the annual parade this year, leading the parade with a protest sign. His article focuses around one specific
Woonsocket police officer rudely demanding he not carry his sign, despite no
other officers asking him to not carry the sign, and his feelings that his
First Amendment rights were being violated.
This article says a lot about the community that AutumnFest is a part
of. First of all, it shows that individual
people in Woonsocket are full of independence and willingness to stand up for
what they believe. Secondly, it shows
that some individuals are not always willing to be accepting of other peoples’
ideas. The second site I came across was
the AutumnFest website. On it I found pictures
of previous AutumnFests and dozens of links to information about the
festivities. The site even includes a
link to get directions to the festival!
The fact that the website is decently detailed shows that there is a lot
of pride and spirit behind AutumnFest.
This only furthers my belief that AutumnFest unites a city that
otherwise can ignore itself. Yet another
site I found (now taking a turn away from directly AutumnFest related
information) is GoLocalProv. This
Providence, RI related website gives minor information on all kinds of
festivals (including AutumnFest!).
Unfortunately, the site is dated for 2012, but it is definitely interesting
to see the other kinds of festivals that take place before and after
AutumnFest. Many communities seem to
come together in a very similar manor. Perhaps the season of autumn itself is a
unifying season? I hardly hear of any
winter festivals, I don’t recall hearing any spring festivals, and the only
summer festival I can think of is CumberlandFest, which is just barely outside
of Woonsocket. It’s definitely an
interesting concept that I’m considering looking into a little more. The final site I explored is a New England
fall festival site, which showcases on its home page a small amount of
festivals that take place specifically in Rhode Island. Each festival is giving a small little
paragraph to let viewers know where it is, what it is, and if it costs any
money. Overall, looking through these
sites, I find that each site gives off a friendly vibe, or an informational
vibe that isn’t overpowering. With The
Valley Breeze, the site is set up like a newspaper in a sense, so it’s not too
overwhelming with other means of information of pop up ads trying to grab your
attention. All of the sites have easy to
read fonts that don’t seem to distract you from the purpose of the
information. These sites show that the
subculture related to fall festivals in general is family-oriented, friendly,
and about enjoying the festivities and getting a break from the hustle and
bustle of everyday life. I’m providing
the links to these sites below if anyone wishes to view them on their own and
take a look into some possible fall festivals for the future, or if they’re
interested in reading the protestor article from The Valley Breeze.
The Valley Breeze Article
http://www.valleybreeze.com/2013-10-23/woonsocket-north-smithfield/why-stop-free-speech-ahead-parade#.UmnE1fkqjXw
AutumnFest Websitehttp://www.valleybreeze.com/2013-10-23/woonsocket-north-smithfield/why-stop-free-speech-ahead-parade#.UmnE1fkqjXw
GoLocalProv
Fall Festivals Rhode Island
Very thoughtful post. I like that you included the links in the post to the relevant websites you found
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