The Circle at Center Square in downtown Nazareth was transformed into a historical monument from the Bronze Age Saturday, September 21 during the farmers’ market.
Bails of fall’s most prominent decoration were arranged around the World War Memorial in tribute to Stonehenge, the infamous monument in England that dates back to 3000 BC. The term “henge” refers to a circular banked enclosure with an internal ditch.
Nazareth’s Economic Development Commission (NEDC) created the event featuring the farm-themed neolithic structure with the help of Nazareth resident Nancy Wisser, a blogger and expert of the “Clonehenge” genre. Wisser was on-hand to discuss Stonehenge and the various replicas built around the world as well as the fall equinox, which is a significant part of Stonehenge lore.
Many vendors contributed by having themed activities for the whole family to participate in. The main attraction was “Foodhenge,” a contest where people built their own version of Stonehenge from food donated by the market’s vendors.
The judges for the challenge were NEDC Board Member Austin James and
Liz Wyant, Downtown Manager while Secretary Jill Koch coordinated the ballots and kept everything on schedule and organized.
Lori Bernardo, Board President, managed the Foodhenge tournament.
The 1st place winner of the kid’s category was Paxton Gold and the 2nd was Caroline Banghart. Adult first prize went to Kristen Howett.
There was also a “Vendorhenge” challenge where purveyors competed that resulted in a three-way tie between Pampered Paws’s “Mutthenge,” Chartier Farms with “Salthenge” and Annabella’s Bakery with “Biscottihenge.”
Other activities included a Stonehenge photo-op, hay bale tic-tac-toe and a children’s play area where they could build their own Stonehenge using cardboard blocks. All accompanied by live music throughout the duration of the event.
The NEDC manages the seasonal farmers’ market. Its purpose is to promote the economic growth of the community and Hayhenge was a step towards that goal by bringing in new customers and drawing attention to what Nazareth has to offer.
The autumnal equinox is when day and night will be equal length, and autumn will officially begin. This year, it fell on Monday, September 23. Druids, a type of Celtic religion, gather at Stonehenge to watch the equinox sunrise. This happens every year, both in spring and fall.
