MIDDLEBORO – Rainy weather postponed the Sip and Stroll to Sunday, Nov. 19, but the crowds of people who attended were greeted with horse rides, 102 vendors, and plenty of opportunities to support local businesses.

Sunday’s Sip and Stroll went “better than I could ever have imagined,” said organizer Lorna Brunelle. “I’ve got to say something about Middleboro: every time we have a rain day, Middleboro shows up the next day for us.”

Supporting local businesses is an important cause for Emma Gibney, who was recently crowned as Miss Massachusetts' Teen 2023. 

At Sip and Stroll, she purchased a pair of wooden sunglasses from a vendor. Gibney said that she planned on taking the glasses with her to the Miss America competition in Orlando.

“I’m going to bring them to Miss America,” Gibney said. “We’re going to have a day in the park in Disney so I’m really excited to bring these with me.”

“Shopping local is really important to me,” she added.

Items sold at Sip and Stroll ranged from perogies to blankets and everything in between. 

Middleboro parent Erica Adler was selling ugly sweaters to raise money for a new elementary school playground in Middleboro. 

“We’ve raised about $700 dollars today so far,” Adler said. “There’s no better way to spend a Sunday.”

Brunelle said that she had been organizing Sip and Stroll events for fourteen years, and that Sunday’s location at Pierce Playground was the biggest venue that had ever hosted a Sip and Stroll. She added that shopping at events like Sip and Stroll helps to support local businesses.

“When you buy local… you’re making it so that a mom can maybe go do something wonderful with their family that they might not have budgeted before,” Brunelle said.