The Feast of the Falls, a free sit down catered dinner for 300 people at one very, very long table in Hemlock Gorge, is Upper Falls biggest and most beloved event of the year.
It ran for five consecutive years but we missed last year. In February we announced plans to bring it back and this time move it to the Upper Falls Greenway on Sunday June 28. We ran headlong into Covid 19,and all plans were cancelled for Feast of the Falls 2020.
Since the lock-down began both Better Life Foods and Dunn Gaherin Restaurant have made the wrenching transition into becoming take-out businesses … and now they have hatched a new plan – the Backyard Feast of the Falls is coming on Sunday June 28.
Once again the first 300 lucky Upper Falls residents to register will each get free tickets to the Backyard Feast of the Falls. Head chef Christopher Osborn will design a delicious prepared dinner-in-a-box with instructions. On the day of the event, the Dunn Gaherins and Better Life Food staff will prepare and distribute the 300 dinners from the Dunn Gaherins premises during the afternoon.
The guests will pick up their dinners, and prepare them at home, and bring them out to their backyard for the 6 PM start. At 6 PM all hell will break loose in Upper Falls. The giant dinner bell will ring from a front lawn at the top of Upper Upper Falls, sirens, car horns and church bells will ring throughout the villages and dinner will begin. The mayor will kick off the festivities via Zoom and Radio Upper Falls – an FM pirate station being set up for the day. People will email/text photos to enter the Best Food Presentation, Best Dressed, and Best Dinner Table contests. We’ll play music during dinner and then before desert, the Feast hosts Seana Gaherin and Chris Osborn will invite guests to call in to Radio Upper Falls and make a personal toast to Upper Falls.
That’s just the first sketch and we’ll no doubt be adding more details as we go. June 28 is going to be one big, much needed party in Upper Falls. Big thanks to Christopher Osborn and Seana Gaherin for their ingenious plans.
I Thank the lord above I dont live in the falls. Thank you my savior.
I’m happy for you too Fred ;-)
This has always been an amazing event, funded by the amazing generosity of a few local businesses.
It’s even more remarkable at a time when our local restaurateurs are facing unprecedented economic uncertainty. I’m not surprised, knowing how generous Seana Gaherin of Dunn Gaherins and Chris Osborn of Better Life foods are. I only hope there’s a giant tip jar outside on pickup day and that everyone who can afford to, show their appreciation that day and over the course of many more meals this summer.
Thanks Greg for the great suggestion and thank you for reminding me how to spell Christopher’s last name.
It kills him that after working together for all these years I still endlessly misspell his last name no matter how often he corrects me. (It’s been fixed Kris)
@Jerry. I don’t know where you come up with these crazy but wonderful innovations, but I’m thankful that you do.
How exciting! Something to look forward to.
Sounds like so much fun. I no longer live there but I did live behind Dunn Gaherians for a time growing up. Back when it was Lenny’s.
May have to do a drive thru!!
Barbara Johnstone-Thomas
Great news guys, thanks to Seana and Chris and everyone else connected with this very special evening. I love the idea of Radio Upper Falls too. I would love to fall asleep listening to Jerry’s dulcet tones giving the tides report!Foghorn served up with a dash of keep it going…
You know we’ll be there! Can’t wait!
Seana and I were really looking forward to the relaunch of The Feast of The Fall’s. We had to figure out a way to forge on with the this fabulous event despite our current situation. This is where Jerry Reily comes in like the cavalry to make It happen. He is our creative and logistical mistro.
Now more than ever we need our community to band together as one. If we could we would put a giant dinner table across America so we could all break bread together as the one nation wide community that we are, we would.
It all starts local.
Are you going to publish a link for registering for this event?
That will be published via the Upper Falls News, probably in a week or so.
What about people who do not live in NUF? How will they hear the sirens and church bells and car horns? Can the Emerson playground grass be divided in 50ft squared spaces, with one-way lanes for those who want to be closer to the action? just thinking outside the box.