Above: Heritage Day is one of Southborough’s most popular community gatherings. (images from flyer, photos by Beth Melo)
This year, Heritage Day falls on Monday, October 14th with the Pumpkin Stroll the day prior. Make sure to save the dates.
Note: If you are looking to exhibit, be sure to get your vendor form in by September 27th. And if your organization plans to march in the parade, don’t forget to email Recreation Director Tim Davis at tdavis@southboroughma.com.
For those of you unfamiliar, Heritage Day is the the annual town celebration of our community. While it honors the town’s history, it is rooted in the present, bringing together different segments of the community.
(That said, stay tuned for this year’s efforts by the Southborough Historical Society to continue bringing more heritage back to Heritage Day.*)
Heritage Day runs from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on the St. Mark’s field and nearby locations.
Festivities kick off the day prior. Chestnut Hill Farm moved its festival up to this weekend. But the Southborough Rotary Club continues to plan its much longer tradition – the Pumpkin Stroll (formerly known as Light Up Southborough.)
The community is encouraged to start dropping off their carved pumpkins at 4:00 pm on Sunday, October 13th for display on the stone wall along the rural cemetery. What still needs to be determined (given the EEE threat) is whether there can be an evening stroll to see the gourds lit up at night, or if it will need to take place early.
Rotary is keeping fingers crossed that a hard overnight frost will arrive before the event, greatly reducing the threat. So stay tuned for more details closer to the date.*
On Monday morning at 10:00 am, the annual parade lets community organizations toot their own horn. (Expect to see marching scouts, youth leagues, playgroups, school bands, etc. There are also fire trucks and a few “floats”.)
From then until 3:00 pm, exhibit booths on St. Mark’s Field also allow community groups to raise awareness and/or funds. Local vendors get a chance to sell their wares or promote their business. Plus, there’s always lots of food for sale, so bring your appetites and wallets.
Recreation is promoting that entertainment on the field will be similar to past years with inflatables (moonbounce and obstacle course), the pie eating contest (put on by Boy Scout Troop 92), the soccer challenge (put on by the Knights of Columbus*), and more.
Other annual features you can count on are The Friends of the Southborough Library’s Book and Bake Sale* in the Library’s parking lot across the street.
Unfortunately, due to the timing of the just opened public safety complex, don’t expect an Open House at the Fire Department this year. (They will be holding tours of their new facility at an Open House on October 26th, details still TBD.)
I’ll be sharing many more details on this year’s events as the weekend gets closer. So stay tuned.
*Between now and then, expect dedicated Heritage-Day-2019 posts on the Pumpkin Stroll, Southborough Historical Society’s events, the KoC’s soccer challenge, Library Book and Bake Sale, etc.
