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G BA’s SummerFest begins on Friday

 

Greenfield Recorder 07/16/2014, Page C01

By ANITA FRITZ Recorder Staff

GREENFIELD — Downtown will be abuzz with shoppers on Friday and Saturday when SummerFest opens with sidewalk sales and all sorts of activities for adults and children.

Greenfield Business Association’s two-day SummerFest will be held Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. throughout downtown. Main Street will be closed from Federal to Wells streets on Saturday.

Local Cub Scout Pack 3 will be downtown on Saturdaywith its climbing wall and children of all ages will have the opportunity to climb, with spotters nearby.

At the same time, parents of boys ages 6 to 10 will have the opportunity to discuss the benefits of scouting and local Boy Scout Troop 5 will be there to help with the climbing wall, while doing a little recruiting of its own.

There will be local merchants and vendors set up along the sidewalks selling their wares both days.

Along with the climbing wall on Saturday, there will be a dunking booth, a Foster’s Super Market chocolate cream pie-eating contest on Veterans Mall, a decorated bike parade, music, dance demonstrations and more.

The bike parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Mayor William Martin will serve as grand marshal. Participants should arrive with bikes decorated and ready to go, but if that isn’t possible, arrive around 9 a.m. and the GBA will provide decorations.

There will be plenty of town leaders to dunk this year — the dunking booth will be located at the corner of Chapman and Main streets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Those who plan to participate include At-large Town Councilors Isaac Mass and Mark Maloni and Precinct 5 Councilor Penny Ricketts. Greenfield schools Superintendent Jordana Harper will also be there.

Chris Collins of radio station WHAI and The Recorder will sit in the dunking booth at some point during the event and Greenfield Police officer Chris Rowell, School Committee member Francia Wisnewski, WHAI’s Nick Danjer, state Rep. Paul Mark and GBA Coordinator Caitlin von Schmidt will also be there.

A portion of the dunking booth proceeds will go to the Northwestern Children’s Advocacy Center.

Anyone who might need to cool off will have a chance to frolic in the mist provided by Greenfield Fire Department’s ladder truck on Main Street near the Town Common on Saturday and the Greenfield Farmers Market will be open on Court Square as usual.

“SummerFest is the biggest event the GBA runs during the year and it’s a blast,” said von Schmidt. “We love showing off downtown on both days for great shopping and eating and then taking over the street on Saturday. Plus, I really love getting dunked!”

The town will offer free parking in its municipal lots both days.

Shoppers will find lots of deals during the event, according to organizers.

According to the National Weather Service in Taunton, the forecast for both days is mostly sunny with temperatures in the high 70s.

For more information or a schedule of events and activities, call the GBA at 413-774-2719, emailgba@franklincc.org or visit: www.greenfieldbusiness.org. Also visit Greenfield Business Association on Facebook.