Oct. 5 marked the beginning of the annual Fall Festival at Haverhill’s Kimball Farm.

The festival is held annually by Vintage Bazaar, a traveling event company known for hosting similar events across the east coast, garnered much attention and a lively crowd composed of families, couples, and even pets as it does each and every year it has been held on the 300 acre field in rural Haverhill.

The field, full of white tents and the smell of barbecue, is host to local artists, thrift outfits, and charity organizations as well as an array of food trucks, coffee shops, and live music.

All of whom were eager to share their talents and skills to the local community.

One artist, David Dawson of Shrewsbury commented on his experience attending the event through the past four years.

“It’s validating, you know. Seeing the look on somebody’s face when they see your art… it’s one of the best feelings,” he said.

Dawson has been producing art for nearly a decade in his Shrewsbury studio/warehouse, where he scavenges estate sales, flea markets, and junkyards for anything that might catch his eye. He then repurposes his findings as miniature — or occasionally quite large — robotic statues.

Dawson is not the only artist grateful for the opportunities afforded to him by the festival, however. Kelly Stuck, a wildlife illustrator from Nashua, New Hampshire shared her thoughts on attending for the fifth time.

“I like building my relationships with the other vendors when I can, it’s good to have support,” she said.

Networking and accomplishment were not the only topics the artists were drawn to, and many commented on how strong they felt the sense of community present within the fenced-in field.

Jeff Whittum, a welding artist with eight years of experience out of East Kingston, New Hampshire, commented on his very first experience attending as a vendor and the pleasantness of the event as a whole.

“With the weather and everything this weekend, the atmosphere just… works. It works.”

Whittum was not alone in his experience, as it only took a brief walk through the festival grounds to see that most, if not all guests and vendors alike felt the same.

The infectious cheeriness of the crowd guaranteed an unforgettable experience for all who visited the farm throughout the weekend, and was sure to bring back many more for years to come.