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By Rachel Borman
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
Despite gray skies and on-again, off-again rain showers, Walpole Day brought together hundreds of families, organizations and local businesses to celebrate the beginning of spring.
“Walpole Day serves as our big kickoff for all the warm weather activities we have planned,” said Arielle Carney, assistant director of the Walpole Recreation Department and lead organizer for Walpole Day for three years running. “Summer camp, opening the gates of the swimming pool and outdoor movies are just around the corner.”
Festivities kicked off in the morning with the annual Walpole Day parade. People lined the streets along the parade route to cheer as fire trucks, tow trucks, floats, fancy cars, groups marching and even a horse drawn carriage rolled by. Elm Street 3rd grader Aaron Aurora was this year’s grand marshal, so he rode in the Walpole fire truck driven by Lieutenant Peter Carter.
More than 110 organizations and businesses signed up for the Vendor Market this year, making it the second year in a row that every vendor spot was claimed. Colorful booths lined the edge of Stone Field and the Walpole Public Library parking lot, offering a wide range of kid-friendly activities, contests and drawings, and information about businesses and resources in the Walpole community at large.
“Our toddler especially loved meeting the service dogs from Golden Opportunities for Independence and watching the dancers from the Harney Academy of Irish Dance,” said Jonathan Amaya-Hodges of Sharon and a first-time attendee of Walpole Day. “There was so much to do for kids of all ages. Even with the rain, everyone had a great time.”
The Kidz Zone with bouncy houses, inflatable mazes, and even Crazy Bubble Soccer was extremely popular; gleeful shrieks could be heard coming from inside the inflatables all afternoon. “Walpole Day was fun. My favorite part was definitely the bouncy houses,” said Joe Albano, age 5 of Walpole.
A subtle circus theme was woven throughout the event this year. Stilt walkers and giant puppets roved the Vendor Market and danced with kids in Blackburn Hall while teen musicians from School of Rock performed live. Even the logo on staff t-shirts had a circus tent design, making it easy to recognize who could help answer questions throughout the day. The Recreational Department plans to build on the themed approach, so look for something just as creative next year.
The celebration ended with the Annual Wacky Quacky Duck Race at Memorial Pond. This year, Ms. Doughty Smith won the $1000 grand prize when her duck crossed the pond first. Congratulations!
