If you happen to be passing through Upper Falls at 5 o’clock this Sunday it will be clear that something big is happening.  The bells of the Upper Falls churches will be ringing and the streets will be filled with 100’s of nattily dressed people walking towards Echo Bridge carrying a plate, silverware and a cup.

The 2nd annual Feast of the Falls will be back – the biggest event of the year in Upper Falls.   The Feast is an elegantly catered dinner for 300 people at a single table in Hemlock Gorge.  The event is free for the first 300 residents lucky enough to snag tickets.  They went on-line a few weeks ago at the stroke of 5 PM and were all gone in about 20 minutes.

What makes the event so special is that it is underwritten entirely by the businesses and organizations or Upper Falls for the residents of Upper Falls and is pulled off by an army of neighborhood volunteers doing everything from assembling tables, to cooking, and serving, to decorating and checking people in.

All of the details that made the event such a success last year will be back again – The Echo String Quartet, the fabulous food, and the local celebrity waiters and waitresses.  This year VIP servers include State Rep Ruth Balser, Aldermen Deb Crossley and John Rice, Area Councillors (past and present) Jeff Riklin, Betsy Hewitt, favorite faces from the neighborhood businesses – Tom and Anne Carrington O’Shaugnessy’s from Upper Falls Variety, Henry & Kim La from the Depot Coffee Shop, Village14’s own Greg Reibman, John & Ruth Bergdorf the pastor and his wife from the Baptist Church on Ellis St, Madeline Aucoine from the Upper Falls Nursery School.  We’re working as hard as we can on Eddie from the Mobil station, but he’s a tough nut to crack.

This year, the Feast Crew is upping their game.  The number of guests has been increased up to 300.  So that long, long, long table will be even longer.   We’ve also got a few new surprises in store for the guests.