Tri-County Regional Chamber Event to Be Held March 23rd at Tri-County HS

By J.D. O’Gara

Looking for something fun to do for the whole family? Join the Tri-County Regional Chamber on Saturday, March 23rd, for the Family Fest & Home Show, to take place at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School (TCRVTHS), 147 Pond St., Franklin, from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. The event will feature over 100 local vendors as well as activities for the entire family. For admission, choose between a $5 all-day pass or contribute an item to the Franklin Food Pantry for each guest.

Four pie-eating contests will be part of the fun of the Tri-County Regional Chamber’s Family Fest & Home Show, to be held Saturday, March 23rd, from 10-2, at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School. Photos used courtesy of Tri-County Regional Chamber.

“We’ve held this event for many years at Blackstone Valley Tech in Upton,” says Tri-County Regional Chamber President and CEO Laura O’Callaghan, who says the Chamber, after putting the event on hiatus after COVID, decided to change up the location and hold it at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School (RVTHS) gym in Franklin this year, to be inclusive of its wide reach of 10 towns, including Bellingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Medway, Mendon, Milford, and Millis. “Planning this large event has been a breeze. Lori Villemaire, Executive Assistant to Superintendent Maguire, is a pleasure to work with,” says O’Callaghan, referring to thewarm welcome the school gave the Chamber.

“Anytime we can open our doors and partner with a great community organization such as the Tri-County Regional Chamber, we jump at the opportunity. We are excited to host the 2024 Family Fest and Home Show and have no doubt the day will be a great success for not only the vendors but all attendees,” says Tri-County RVTHS Superintendent Dr. Karen Maguire.

O’Callaghan says it’s a Chamber tradition to hold the event on the 4th Saturday in March each year. “People are looking for fun things to do before the kids’ activities begin, before families start gearing up  for the sports season,” says O’Callaghan. “We want to have an interactive day for the whole family, where it won’t cost an arm and a leg to have fun, ” says the Chamber President and CEO. 

In addition to a wide array of vendors and great bargains, family friendly events continue to be added to the Family Fest & Home Show, including:

• Face painting

• A visit with Peter Cottontail (aka The Easter Bunny), with free photographs families can take home that day and a small gift

• A demonstration from a local martial arts school

• Smokey the Bear

• Tik Tok personality – Jack Hill

• Magician Ed the Wizard, who will not only perform but will mingle with the crowd

• A good old-fashioned pie-eating contest, with competitions at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. (up to 12 participants per round, drop by and sign up)

• A chance to vote for the “People’s Choice” in the Mac-n-Cheese Cookoff from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., with five local restaurateurs putting forth their best creamy combo in hopes of winning one of two trophies – one judged by attendees and the other by sponsors of the event

The Chamber’s Family Fest & Home Show will also, importantly, give local businesses a chance to network with potential new customers.

“People do business with people they know and like,” says O’Callaghan, adding, “There’s so much in the power of conversation, and there’s great potential to get new leads.” 

Tom Reardon, of Reardon HVAC, is one of those proprietors. He’s participated in the Family Fest & Home Show for a number of years. 

“I think it’s good public exposure,” says Reardon, whose heating and air conditioning company has been in business 68 years. While he’d be unlikely to sell heating and air-conditioning systems on the spot, he welcomes the opportunity to make first contact with homeowners, who, down the road, may need such services. 

On-the-spot contracts have been known to happen, however. “One year, we had a veteran  that started a franchise building retainer walls through a Veteran’s program,” says O’Callaghan, “He got a job for $100k at the show.”

While over 100 vendors are expected, there’s still time to sign up. Deadline for registering is March 15th. The cost for booths varies by size, business, and membership, with discounts for members, and access to electricity is first come/first served. 

“Any type of business can get join us,” says O’Callaghan, “If your product and service caters to homeowners and families, this is where you should be.”

For this event, the Tri-County Regional Chamber is offering a promotion of an annual membership plus a single booth for $650. Members have access to networking events, business education and training, free start-up resources and workshops, leadership opportunities, access to business referrals and other resources. Learn more about vendor booths or sign up at  https://www.tricountychamberma.org/vendor-registration . 

For an added business opportunity, companies can choose to sponsor the show. Those interested in ramping up their brand’s promotional efforts and customer base can choose from five different levels of sponsorship. Deadline for sponsoring the event is March 15th Visit the sponsorship page for more details at https://www.tricountychamberma.org/family-fest-sponsors .

Volunteers are still needed for the event. 

“Volunteers will make it go a lot smoother for everyone. The vendors have quite a bit to set up, and we’re hoping to get some enthusiastic students to jump in and help them unload/load their vehicles, help with the Easter Bunny pictures, help vendors find their spaces, and such. They’ll get their needed volunteer hours, and we’ll make sure there’s plenty of pizza so that they don’t go hungry during the day!” says O’Callaghan.

 Anyone interested in helping can visit the volunteer page at https://www.tricountychamberma.org/volunteer. High school students looking to earn credit toward their volunteer service should reach out to Sherri Hannon at [email protected] .

For more information about the Tri-County Regional Chamber’s Family Fest & Home Show on March 23rd, visit 

https://www.tricountychamberma.org/family-fest .