As we wrap up Halloween haunts and set the stage for giving thanks, we delight in fall foliage and welcome more time with family and friends. November begins with the 24th annual Franklin County CiderDays festival (Nov 2-4), a celebration of all things apples! If PYO orchards, sweet treats, and hard cider strike your fancy, keep an eye out for a brand-new apple guide making an appearance during CiderDays (and online here in the coming week). Festivals continue in the arts with events like Illuminus in Boston and the Paradise City Arts Festival in Marlborough, while special exhibits and open studios offer opportunities to engage artists and browse profound works statewide. Closing out the month with Thanksgiving festivities is beloved America's Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration, a must for first-timers and longstanding tradition (since 1621).

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CiderDays will be celebrated November 2-4 throughout Franklin County! The original craft cider festival features cidermaking and tastings, workshops, orchard tours, culinary demonstrations and much more in orchards and venues county-wide. Whether you are a cider aficionado (hard or sweet), make your own cider, are an orchardist, like hanging out in bucolic orchards, or just enjoy soaking up all the goodness of autumn in New England, CiderDays is your event!  Don't miss the Cider Salons under the big tent in Turners Falls with over 120 ciders to taste and cider producers from around the world to meet!

There is a charge for some of the events, but many of the workshops and activities at the Shelburne Buckland Community Center and at local orchards are completely FREE.  More info can be found at ciderdays.org.

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Start your holidays by the sea with Sandwich Glass Museum's 9th Annual Glassblowers' Christmas! From November 12-December 30, hundreds of unique glass ornaments handcrafted by some of the region's finest artists will adorn the museum's beautifully decorated trees. The Lighting of the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown at dusk on November 21 is a Cape Cod holiday tradition, and the spectacular Gardens Aglow at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich will wow you Fridays through Sundays from November 23-December 30 (Friday-Sundays). Find these festive events, along with seasonal accommodations packages, at ChristmasonCapeCod.com!

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We're feeling very thankful this month in Western Massachusetts! Maybe it's because only in Hampshire County can you find a holiday Maker's Market held in a funky music venue. Or, is it because you can shop for seconds at Snow Farm and visit an open studio in the same weekend? Perhaps it's because only in Northampton you can discover a world-class art exhibit titled Becoming a Woman in the Age of Enlightenment. Or maybe it's because music and poetry always seem to go hand-in-hand around here. Find your reason for thanksgiving this season in Western Mass!

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The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown turns its focus on two of Britain's most noted landscape painters of all time in Turner and Constable: The Inhabited Landscape. Opening December 15 and running through March 10, 2019, the exhibition features more than 50 landscapes by J. M. W. Turner and John Constable, including Constable's acclaimed masterpiece The Wheat Field (1816) and Turner's Rockets and Blue Lights Close at Hand to Warn Steam Boats of Shoal Water (1840).  

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Visit Nantucket's holiday wonderland this November! See Miracle on 34th Street (Theatre Workshop), A Nantucket Christmas Carol (White Heron Theatre), attend NHA's Festival of Wreaths (11/21-25; preview party 11/20, 5 to 7 pm), hear the Vienna Boys Choir  (Dreamland, 11/30,) attend NHA's Festival of Trees (11/30; preview party 11/29 6 to 8 pm) and do not miss the grand finale Annual Tree Lighting (11/23, 5 pm) at Top of Main Street! There's also Rafael Osona's Auction Preview (11/29 & 30 10 am to 5 pm)!

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North Shore Music Theatre presents Hairspray October 30-November 11! This irresistible, feel-good show is guaranteed to have you dancing the night away. Don't miss Ansel Adams, Environmentalist and Photographer: A Slide Lecture by Lance Hidy on November 3 at the Museum of Printing. Salt Marsh Antiques hosts their annual Christmas Open House November 24, 25 and December 1. Shop for antiques and gift-giving treasures in a beautifully decorated 1805 barn!

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United Way of Greater New Bedford is partnering with Fun 107 and WBSM for their Holiday Food Drive! This yearly food drive is held at Buttonwood Park and helps UWGNB re-stock food pantries for those in need. Non-perishable and canned goods can be dropped off on Saturday, November 10 from 10 am to 2 pm at Buttonwood Park, 1 Oneida Street, New Bedford. Volunteers will then sort the items into baskets for Thanksgiving Day. Come spread some holiday cheer!

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Begin your holiday celebrations in Central Mass with food, festivals, and performances! Sample craft beer from over 80 breweries at Brew Woo Harvest Fest on Saturday, November 3 at the DCU Center! Also enjoy live music, feast on savory food offerings and shop unique vendors. Christmas traditions begin shortly after as The Worcester Center for Crafts brings 60+ fine craft artists and their work to the Holiday Festival of Crafts on November 23-25, and The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts presents The Nutcracker that same weekend!

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