Annual Fall Festival on Tap for Sept. 29

Partnering with businesses and civic organizations, the Town of Merrimack is preparing for the fifth annual Merrimack Fall Festival Business Expo.

The Merrimack Town Council initiated and is overseeing the annual expo, aimed at showcasing businesses, crafters and civic organizations. The purpose is to provide businesses a conduit for meeting the citizens of Merrimack and showing how much there is to offer within Merrimack and surrounding communities.

The expo will be held at the Town Center on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. rain or shine. There will be venues inside and out including Town Hall, Our Lady of Mercy parking lot, O’Gara Field and the James Mastricola Upper Elementary School. Admission is free and is open to everyone.

More than 100 businesses, organizations and crafters will be on hand to show citizens from all over New Hampshire what Merrimack and surrounding communities have to offer as they sell their goods and demonstrate their products, and of course food will be available from many Merrimack restaurants. There will be a live music extravaganza featuring Siroteau, and Brian and Gardner Murphy. There will also be a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, K-9 demonstrations, robotic demonstrations, fire department demonstrations and Taser demonstrations. Bernie Del Llano of Perfect Entertainment, who will also be overseeing karaoke throughout the day, will host this year’s event.

The event will also have a lot of entertainment for children, with Red Sox Mascot Wally the Green Monster, McDonny’s Petting Farm, a Budweiser Clydesdale, face painting and a lot more. Visitors are encouraged to bring their cameras and have their pictures taken with Wally and with the Clydesdale and petting animals.

Don’t forget to bring your appetite. Many of the areas restaurants will be on hand selling their food. Chowder, soup, hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, pizza, cupcakes, cakes and pastries will be on hand.

There are still spaces available for local crafters and businesses. For more information, e-mail Dave McCray at dmccray7@aol.com or go to www.merrimackexpo.com.