Long awaited Harvest Moon takes over Onset

The long awaited Harvest Moon festival brought thousands to Onset on Oct. 11, with an antique car show, petting zoo and plenty of food trucks and vendors.

The vendors set up shop along Buzzard's Bay with everything from handmade wreaths and crocheted stuffed animals to soaps and sourdough bread.

Patricia Manamon, owner of Making Ends Meet Kriterz, sold crocheted animals and pop-culture inspired characters. Her mother taughter her how to crochet when she was young, and she picked the hobby back up in her 40s with creating a baby blanket. The business "spiralled from there," and she now gets her inspiration from YouTube and other creators.

She considers crocheting "a form of textile expression. What can you do with a piece of string?" She hopes her creations elicit "just a smile. It's something that they can look at that makes them happy."

Another crochet artist, Zakia Paschal with Kia's Crochet Creations, sold her handmade animals. She started crocheting 11 years ago to alleviate her anxiety. She works at Wareham Elementary School's cafeteria, and she passes out leftover plushies to kids after lunch or for birthdays.

"I love giving back to the community," she said. " I make things because it puts a smile on the kids' faces, and it makes people so happy in these times."

Rick Lepel displayed his terrariums made with animal figurines, plants and minerals. The "star of the show" was a fishbowl terrarium with a chameleon, butterfly and praying mantis.

"I was an art student at one point in my life. Then I became a judge, and now I'm retired," he said. "I like creating things. It lets me make a composition [and] work with color, texture."

The festival also had several food trucks and a small petting zoo with two sheep from Little Patch of Heaven, an animal sanctuary.