Autumnfest Fun Begins

Woonsocket's favorite fall festival kicks off tonight with the carnival rides opening at 6 p.m. while vendors, entertainers, and parade participants continue to prepare for the three day event.

Autumnfest officially begins on Saturday, but the 25 rides provided by Fanelli Amusement Company will be open on Thursday and Friday nights this year. Tonight, all rides will cost $1 and on Friday, guests can buy a $20 wrist band for unlimited access.

Beginning on Saturday, guests to the 33rd annual festival will enjoy a wide variety of food and entertainment, culminating in a 10 division parade led by Tom Ward, publisher of The Valley Breeze.

The Food Court, always a favorite at Autumnfest, will offer everything from local classics including clam cakes, dynamite and meat pies, to unique offerings such as pierogis, falafel sandwiches, and crab rangoons. A full list of this year's vendors can be found on the concessions page of the Autumnfest website.  

In addition to six children's rides, Kidfest will offer rock wall climbing, pony rides, reptile and magic shows, and a triathalon along with fingerprinting through the Child Identitification Program (CHIPS.)

For purchase of a $1 Autumnfest Button, guests will be entered in a drawing for a grand prize of airfare for two, four days and three nights at a hotel in Orlando, donated by News/Talk . Second, third and fourth place winners will receive $300, $200 and $100 respectively. The buttons, which provide a main source of funding for the event, bringing in an estimated $10,000 annually, will be sold at both entrances to , where the festivities are held.

New features in the Beer Garden this year include the "" contest by Narragansett beer.

Entertainment on the main stage will begin just after opening ceremonies at 10 p.m. on Saturday. This year's lineup includes a great variety of local and national acts from Woonsocket's own (recently signed to the Ellen Degeneres record label) to headliner Shirley Alston Reeves, the original lead singer of The Shirelles. A full list of the roughly 30 performers scheduled to take the stage over the weekend can be found on the Autumnfest 2011 entertainment page.