The town of Scarborough will hold its 20th annual SummerFest celebration on Friday, Aug. 19, from 5-10 p.m. As usual the event will close with a fireworks show, which begins at 9:15 p.m..
The festivities also include the annual road race, live music, food, games and more. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public and takes place at the sports complex next to the high school. The rain date is Saturday, Aug. 20.
Nicole Hall, from Community Services, which sponsors SummerFest, said that while this year’s event will include “activities, games and food items that (attendees have come to) count on seeing year after year, we also have new offerings, which keeps things engaging and keeps folks coming back for more.”
Among the new groups participating this year is the Gym Dandies Children’s Circus, which will show off its juggling and unicycling skills, along with operating a dunk tank throughout the evening. In addition, Julie Kukenberger, Scarborough’s new superintendent of schools, will be meeting and greeting residents while also offering face painting.
The Scarborough Public Library will offer kids a chance to try out their Dot and Dash robots that teach kids how to code. Other activities on tap include carnival games, pony rides, a climbing wall, a giant inflatable slide and henna tattoos, among others.
Throughout the evening, the crowd will be entertained by a strolling magician, along with balloon twisting by Party Palooga and a performance by Andy Happel + 3G, who will be on the main stage from 7-9 p.m.
“SummerFest began in 1997 as a way to celebrate installation of the new lights at the Clifford Mitchell Sport Complex,” Hall said. “Fast-forward 20 years and it’s turned into an end-of-summer celebration for many Scarborough residents. It’s also a great place to gather with friends, families and neighbors (and for) many high school graduates, this is the last event they attend with their friends before heading to college.”
Hall said, “We hope that everyone attending gets to enjoy a little bit of everything.”
While the event kicks off with a road race, one for kids and one for adults, Hall said, things start to get busy around 6 p.m. since many people plan their dinner around SummerFest.
“(They) forgo an at-home meal for fair foods like barbecue sandwiches, Italian sausage sandwiches, cheese steak subs, French fries, homemade pie and fruit crisps, fried dough and so much more,” she said.
“We also try to play a variety of music throughout the evening, whether it’s a play list over the speakers or live music under the tent,” she said. “There are plenty of activities to keep the kids busy until the fireworks show begins, (which is) the biggest draw.”
The local vendors and civic organizations that set up booths at SummerFest each year are hoping for good weather (last year’s fest was rescheduled twice due to inclement weather and soggy field conditions).
“The nicer the day, the larger the crowd, and the larger the crowd, the better our vendors do. For many of these nonprofit groups, SummerFest is their biggest fundraiser, so we hope that they meet or exceed their fundraising goals from our event,” said Hall.
She added, “Every year we are always on pins and needles the week leading up to the event, hoping against hope that the weather will cooperate.”
Hall’s advice for getting the most out of SummerFest?
“Come early to get the best parking, the freshest food and to try out all of the activities. Some lines get pretty long as the night progresses and some activities, like the climbing wall must shut down before the fireworks begin.”
And, she said, “Everyone has their opinion about which is the best spot to sit for the fireworks, but there truly isn’t a bad seat in the house.”
Riding on Thomas the Train is just one of the many fun activities for kids and families at Scarborough’s annual SummerFest celebration.
The pony rides are a popular attraction at SummerFest. The Vance sisters – Abigail, left, and Grace, enjoyed their ride last year.
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