By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
Despite the rain and below average temperatures, people showed up by the dozens for the annual Walpole Day on Saturday, May 11. With umbrellas in tow, locals splashed through the library parking lot and Stone Field to enjoy the variety of offerings that Walpole Day had to offer.
When the annual event kicked off at 11am, so did the Walpole Day Parade. Parade participants included: American Heritage Girls Troop, Azure Lodge A.F & A.M, Goldfish Swim School-Norwood, Harney Academy of Irish Dance, Impact Martial Arts, Mortgage Lender Mass, Norfolk County Sheriff, Organic Solutions, Trail Life Troop MA 2212, United Church in Walpole, Walpole Children's Theater, Walpole Cub Scout Pack 44, Walpole Fire Department, Walpole High Swim & Dive, Walpole Police Department, and the Walpole Veterans Committee.
Once the parade ended, attendees were able to visit a variety of vendor booths which included Walpole Cooperative Bank, who sponsored this years Walpole Day, face painter Gina Tarara-Woods from Imagine That who brightened the day of young children with her fantastical designs, the Walpole Robotics team who showed off their gadgets, the Junior Women’s Club of Walpole who displayed older pieces of technology, and Brewing Independence, an organization run by the Walpole High School Career and Education program who shared delicious free samples of , just to name a few.
The rain didn’t stop children of all ages from enjoying the Kidz Zone, which was full of Inflatables from Funtown Entertainment.
What made Walpole Day different this year than in years past was the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Main Street Mural. Earlier this year, Destination Downtown selected artist Ruby Rose to create and install a new mural in the alleyway between 948 and 954 Main Street on the Donahue Real Estate building in downtown Walpole. Now, with the mural complete, it was a perfect way to celebrate the pride of Walpole.
Walpole Day concluded at 3pm with the Wacky Quacky Duck Race at Memorial Pond. It was truly an enjoyable afternoon filled with good times, great music, and an incredible array of activities for families.
