The holidays will be here before we know it. And along with them comes warm, friendly gatherings and festive activities for people of all ages.

But there’s no need to wait for Thanksgiving. Between now and then, in Grafton, there will be several fun events that people can attend. Many Grafton businesses are also helping people prepare for the holidays in different ways.

On Wednesday Nov. 3 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Success Network will hold Commerce on the Common. The cocktails and shopping event, which will start at the Town House Tavern and will include door prizes, light fare and a cash bar, supports the women-owned businesses on the Grafton Common   Sponsored by Millbury Credit Union, the event features the Grafton Country Store, the gift shop that sells an array of gifts, jewelry, décor and more, Off the Common Antiques, the multi-artisan, multi-vendor shop that sells both hand-crafted and antique items and Quite Fetching, the barkery, featuring seasonal and custom canine baked goods, and pet boutique. Admission is $10, and people can register by Oct. 27 at blackstonevalley.org/event/wsn-Commerce-on-the-Common/.

Over in South Grafton, The Saddle Shed offers a wide variety of items that people can use to enjoy fall/holiday equestrian activities and events. The shop, which just celebrated its 52nd anniversary this month, sells horse equipment, accessories, gifts and tack and has winter wear for horses and their riders. In addition to saddles, the shop has recently added new western cowboy boots to its inventory, as well as accessories such as hands-free saddle cell phone cases.

People looking for seasonal fun and a chance to support a good cause could attend the Community Harvest Project Harvest Home Festival. The annual event will be held at CHP on Sunday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. For more information and admission costs, please visit the nonprofit’s website, www.community-harvest.org. Among other things, festivities will include kids’ activities, a scarecrow contest, apple cannons and pumpkin trebuchets.  

The Grafton Lions Club has been busy focusing on fear – “The Forest of Fear.” It’s the theme for the nonprofit group’s annual Haunted Woods Hayride. It will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Oct. 23 at 68 Brigham Hill Road. The event, which costs $15 per person ($10 each for children under 10), will help fund the group’s service efforts, including promoting sight and hearing projects, helping people in need, encouraging children and teens and honoring Grafton seniors.        

Finally, did you know that October is National Protect Your Hearing Month? In honor of it, Dr. Mary Ellen Curran Rancourt, who runs Hear Joy Audiology, posted some helpful facts and tips about hearing protection on her South Grafton practice’s Facebook page. Additionally, she recently posted a resource for parents with toddlers who have delayed speech. And with new state-of-the-art testing equipment, Hear Joy Audiology can also help people prepare for the holidays by helping them to hear more clearly.   

It won’t be long before snow is falling and familiar Christmas songs can be heard nearly everywhere. But, in the meantime, there’s plenty of bustling activity in Grafton.

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