Slightly Odd Fitchburg

This is something that happened last year. I was really looking forward to going again this year, but what are you gonna do? Viruses be virusin', yo. It's called the Forge-In Blacksmith Art & Renaissance Festival and it's been going on for over a decade and a half in Fitchburg. It's cancelled for COVID reasons, so I figured I'd finally get around to sharing it and remembering the good, old days of late September 2019. Look, no masks! It's your typical looking festival from the outside. You get your barricades, your crowd of people, and your smell of burning coal in the air. It's when you get inside that you see what sets this festival apart: Nerds. Seriously, there's every kind of nerd here. There are horse nerds: Neigh-ERDS! Blacksmith nerds: The guy on the left is either ripping a bong looking at a knife. I honestly don't remember. Jousting nerds: "That's Lady Nerd of The Seven

Nestled deep within Fitchburg, and far away from the consciousness of anyone outside Worcester County, you'll find Dean Hill Cemetery. It's a decently sized open field with far fewer headstones than you're used to seeing in a graveyard. It was established in 1791 as a resting place for the soldiers of the Revolutionary War and their families. Colloquially known  as "The Rev," it's also home to more than its fair share of ghost stories. Join us, if you will, on our search for the... Ghosts of "The Rev!" JUMP SCARE! There's really no way to overstate just how out of the way this place is. To give you an idea, here's the road leading up to it: If you squint, you can find the serial killer. It's on Ashburnham Road and was once close to the Dean Hill Tavern, which was built around 1777. The tavern is no more, but the cemetery still stands and gets all sorts of visitors, however unwelcome they may be. The cemetery i

Okay, so this is a story told to me by my neighbor. I have no way to prove any of it, but he has no reason to lie about it. Wasn't going to post it, but I got this last night. Credit: Rick Harris If it IS a lie, it's a damn good one and deserves a read. It turns out that his home was broken into a number of years ago. That's never fun, but this was definitely a fun loving criminal. As opposed to a Smooth Criminal Credit: CelebrtiyABC He didn't mention any stolen money or expensive property going missing, although you could say that this guy stole his spirit(s)! *Hold for applause* Credit: Kristarella Rather than ransack the place, this guy just sat his criminal ass down in the kitchen and helped himself to the entire liquor cabinet. To be clear, my neighbor was fast asleep upstairs while someone was getting drunk in his house. He also took some time to explore and left every single door open like he was raised in some sort of felonious b

I recently took off from Boston in search of an affordable mortgage. Pictured: The Rent Being Too Damn High I landed in the faraway realm of Fitchburg, wide eyed and new to the world of both home ownership and Central Massachusetts. I can see my house from here! I live with my girlfriend and our Jack Russel/Pit Bull mix, Archer. Yeah, you read that right. Jack Russel and Pit Bull. One of those dogs had a hell of a morning.   Seen here barely containing his joy. Anyway, we're going to explore the area and learn as much as we can about our new home. We'll take you on our journey and try to entertain you as much as we can! You'll be able to learn all kinds of interesting tid bits, like how the gun that killed Abraham Lincoln was manufactured here. *SPOILER ALERT!* True story! Well, at least according to our neighbor. His family has lived here for over a hundred years and his stories will be the jumping off point for lots of our adventures.