By Anne Buckley, Holliston resident and HCAT board member

Holliston had a lot to celebrate last weekend, perhaps most notably was the launch of our town’s very own Farmers Market. As a member of the Holliston Cable Access board, I was proud to be part of the crew on the scene to capture some of the special moments for our community to relive for years to come.

Anyone who attends Holliston events will recognize the HCAT team. Bruce Gilfoy, station manager, attended last Sunday’s market opening and captured many of the exhibitors on film while Chryso Lawless, chairperson of the board, browsed and chatted to visitors and vendors alike who took time out of their Father’s Day celebrations to attend.

Residents welcome Bruce’s familiar face at events such as these, but the real beauty is in not missing out when you’re unable to be there in person. Through the power of technology, HCAT provides live streams and recorded programming for viewers to enjoy beyond the limits of a single activity. With an average of 30 town events covered annually, our cameras are commonplace at community gatherings including Celebrate Holliston, the Holliston Stroll, and the Holliston Historical Society Harvest Fair, all the way through to the 911 Awards, and Veterans Day.

Bruce comments, “We strive to keep the community informed about what is happening within our wonderful town.”

For many of us, the past year represented a challenge. We were unable to keep our regular schedules, were prevented from participating in local sports and happenings, and were limited to only hearing about wins after the event. Even though much of our town was forced to shut down during the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic, HCAT provided an essential service. Our core team increased its programming to keep the community connected during an extended period of isolation and lock down. That said, it was great to be able to start doing things in person again. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the artists and artisans who showcased their unique offerings at Blair Square on Sunday.

I admired paintings of Lake Winthrop, Woodland Street Pond, and nearby Sherborn from Richard Kattman. He told me how he’s been painting since around 1980 and loves sharing work of his hometown with people who have a similar love for the area.

As an enthusiastic writer, I was pleased to see two authors at the market. First, our very own Bobby Blair who spearheaded this market. Kudos to him for forming the committee and making this happen. And also for his two recently published books with a local theme: A Holliston Call to Duty, and A Holliston Oath to Support and Defend. The second author joined us from neighboring Natick. Janis Luedke told me the story of her children’s book, The Hearts That Fell Out of the Sky, about carrots with hearts for heads about spreading love and kindness. Janis wrote and illustrated her book over three years.

I was pleased to hear that the Pandemic didn’t impact local honey production. Owner of Five Hive Farm since 2015, Joe Jankovsky explained to me how his family has doubled their bee population in this past year. They now own around 300,000 bees and are providing fresh, local honey to the residents of Holliston for their sixth year.

Tucked in the shade on the trail I found local artist Obie Miller. I was drawn to Obie’s work by his artist statement which talks about the practice of Plein Air – learning directly from nature by immersing oneself completely into the environment. As Obie says, the past year has reminded us to focus on the things that are important. I was fascinated by the time stamps on each painting. Obie explained that this is when the piece was finished, only two to three hours since it began life as a blank canvass.

Many other amazing vendors took part in the market and are featured in HCAT’s broadcast. Hopefully, I will have a chance to spend time with others during my next visit. The Holliston Farmers Market will be back at Blair Square every Sunday from 9am to 1pm until October 10^th. If you missed the first market, or just want to take a peek at some local talent that you didn’t have time to meet, please view HCAT’s recording at our website.

Viewers of our town event segments love seeing people they know on TV and social media. Several of our live streamed broadcasts have reached family and friends as far away as Nova Scotia, Ireland and Australia. Where will you take HCAT next?

About HCAT:

Holliston Cable Access Television is a not-for-profit organization that was incorporated in 1985 and has been providing local news and views broadcasting since 1986. Today HCAT has several interesting, informative, and entertaining programs produced by a small staff and a team of volunteers. The corporation is managed by a seven-person board of directors who volunteer their time to manage the business.

If you are interested in volunteering for HCAT, please contact Bruce Gilfoy at bruce@hcattv.org for more information.