Despite Pandemic Obstacles, Historic Fallsington Day Goes Off Without A Hitch

On Saturday afternoon, local crafters were exchanging knitted gloves and scarves for cash, and performers were giving Colonial demonstrations as Yardley Avenue was buzzing in Falls Township thanks to Historical Fallsington Day.

The event, which has taken place each Fall for over 65 years, featured over 35 vendors and crafters, as well as live music and historical performers.

The celebration was a little different this year. Masks were mandatory for vendors and attendees, hand sanitizer bottles were placed on every vendor table and crowds were asked to keep social distancing.

Around 11 a.m., Historic Fallsington Inc.’s Executive Director Kimberly Boice was standing outside the information center as a line began to form. Boice was limiting only 11 people to enter the center and gift shop at any given time.

If you had asked her a year ago, this was not what Boice thought she’d be doing on Historical Fallsington Day, but she was happy that the event was still able to happen.

“People have really been great about following safety protocols and it’s been a great way to bring the community together in a safe way,” said Boice, of Levittown. “We always had health and safety in mind.”

The decision to host even a limited event was not made lightly or without guidance from appropriate health agencies, Boice said.

The planning for the event was developed based on guidelines for the green phase of societal reintegration in Bucks County, a review of best practices outlined by the Centers for Disease Control as well as the Pennsylvania and Bucks County Departments of Health, and feedback from residents and community partners, according to the event’s Facebook page.

Boice said the final plan was then submitted to the Bucks County Department of Health for review and comment. Once they were approved to host the event, Boice and her team moved forward.

On a normal year, the event would draw an average of 5,000 attendees, but this year’s event featured only half of the usual vendors, and some musical performers decided to skip the event entirely.

As of 11 a.m. on Saturday, Boice said the crowd seemed consistent with years past. She wasn’t the only one who was pleasantly surprised by the large crowd.

Rosemarie Rose, of Levittown, was sitting at her vendor table, surrounded by mannequin hands advertising her knitted gloves. Being so close to the ever-growing line of people waiting to enter the information center, Rose had a prime location and was busy exchanging fingerless gloves for cash.

Rose has been a vendor at Historical Fallsington Day for over 20 years and she said that this year’s crowd was just as good as any other.

“This crowd has been consistent from the start. It’s been a great experience for us,” Rose said. “You know, this pandemic has been a little difficult, but you make do with what you can.”

Maria Buckman, owner of Out of The Ordinary, had many conversations with residents who stopped to stare at her bedazzled art pieces of animals and plants.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Buckman said that she reached out to all of her usual shows she attends. Almost all of them were cancelled. Then she received her application for Historical Fallsington Day, and she immediately filled it out and sent it back.

“I thought ‘I gotta do something this year’,” Buckman said.

Historical Fallsington Day will be Buckman’s only show all year.

“This venue is better than others though, because you’re outdoors and people are staying distant and they’re wearing their face masks,” Buckman said.

Just as she said that, a masked customer walked up to inquire about a bedazzled kitten resting against Buckman’s table.

Despite the many obstacles of the pandemic, business was booming on Saturday afternoon on Yardley Avenue.

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