Southborough Summer Nights this weekend: All you need to know (Updated)

Above: The annual Southborough Summer Nights is full of free and fun activities for the family. (Photo by Susan Fitzgerald)

11th Annual Southborough Summer Nights is scheduled for this Saturday, August 23 from 5:00 pm to Dusk. I don’t know about yours, but my family can’t wait.

(Of course, I know Saturday’s weather looks iffy. This Sunday is the back-up rain date, and that weather looks clear. If the event is postponed until then, I will update this post. But as of now, organizers are “ready to Rock and Roll” for Saturday!)

I will be taking photos, but I’d love to get your shots, too.

E-mail me your favorite pics from the event to mysouthborough@gmail.com. I hope to post a gallery early next week.

Now, here is the information you need.

For official brochure, click here. Click on event map below right to enlarge.

Parking

Parking is available at both Neary & Trottier Schools. (However the access road between is closed.) There is a designated drop-off/pick up site on Parkerville, and specific instructions about parking and traffic restrictions that evening. Click here for the details.

Schedule

5:oo pm – Dusk: Free kids’ attractions, Booths, Raffle and Food Vendors

6:00 – 8:00 pm: Music by Better Her Than Me

Dusk: Fireworks (sponsored by Brendan Properties and Capital Group Properties)
Good news: If you had an obstructed view last year, don’t worry. The fireworks will be back at the Neary Field as they had been in previous years.

Volunteering

Maybe this is one of yours or your family’s favorite events. Or maybe you love seeing the happy smiling faces of town children enjoying summer’s last hurrah. You can still sign up to help out. (Remember, this event isn’t funded by taxes, so it relies heavily on volunteers to run it!) They could especially use volunteers for the Football Toss, Baseball Pitch and Basketball Shoot Out. You can email mshields@southboroughma.com.

Details

Free Attractions – No more Bubble Romp*, but there is plenty of other fun on tap:

• Pony Rides
• Children Musician
• Face Painting
• Inflatable Slide
• Moonwalks & Obstacle Course for Younger and Older Children
• Photo Booth
• Rolling Video Arcade (In truck near food vendor area)
• Wrecking Ball
• Baseball Pitch
• Basketball Shootout
• Rock Climbing Wall & Football Toss
• Test drive “robots” with ARHS Robotics Team (on tennis court) [I’m here and just discovered I was wrong about this activity being free. They are raising funds by selling tickets at one dollar apiece per activity. But viewing the Lego league demonstration is free.]

Food Vendors:

• Pizza – Domino’s
• Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Fried Dough & Cotton Candy – Dean’s Concessions
• Sushi – Yama Fuji
• Ice cream – The Creamery – Trombetta’s
• Brownies – Yummy Mummy
• Italian Ice – Boston Italian Ice

Booths exhibiting local businesses and organizations (many offer great freebies for the kids, so be sure to visit):

• A Felting Frenzy
• Middlesex Savings Bank
• A Felting Frenzy
• Bluesky Well-Being
• Fay School
• Kassatly Novelties
• Little V Designs
• Meininger Family Chiropractic
• Middlesex Savings Bank
• New England Music Academy
• Next Step Living
• Relay for Life
• Skyrise Children’s Theater
• The Children’s Workshop
• Thirty One Gifts

Music: Picnic on Neary field while enjoying music from returning Better Her Than Me. They describe themselves as:

one of Boston’s coolest, funnest, high-energy bands, playing great dance music from the 60s through the present. Top40, 80s rock, Motown, R&B, 70s funk, you name it!

Raffle: The Recreation Department will be raffling off tickets including Canobie Lake Park and Six Flags New England. Proceeds will fully support the Southborough Food Pantry.

Sponsors that are helping to make this event possible:

• Brendon Properties-Fireworks
• Capital Group Properties-Fireworks
• St. Mary’s Credit Union-Band
• Eagle Leasing
• Fay School
• Ken’s Foods, Inc.
• Long Automotive Group
• Marlboro Savings Bank
• Middlesex Savings Bank
• NECC
• Phanuef Concrete Cutting
• Senator Jamie Eldridge
• Southborough House of Pizza
• State Rep. Carolyn Dykema
• The Boston Spine Group
• Thrive
• Tomasso Trattoria
• Wee Care for Little People

* The previously popular Bubble Romp will no longer be available. So don’t bother with bathing suits and towels. This is due to the Fire Department and Recreation Department’s concerns about safety combined with equipment and manpower issues.

Updated (8/22/14 2:05 pm): I updated the information on the event’s volunteering needs and how you can sign up.

Updated (8/22/14 4:37 pm): Under food vendors, Quizno’s had to step out, so Yama Fuji took their place. And I learned about the raffle to support the Food Pantry.

Updated (8/23/14 5:25 pm): [I’m here and just discovered I was wrong about Robotics activity being free. They are raising funds by selling tickets at one dollar apiece per activity. But viewing the Lego league demonstration is free.]