ATHOL — Summerfest is coming back to Athol, albeit under new management.
William Kessler organized several Summerfests as a member of the Athol Lions, and he has worked since March to put together the first one organized by the Athol-Orange Rotary Club, to be held June 22 to 25.
“We had some really great Summerfests,” he said. “We haven’t had a Summerfest here for probably 10, 15 years, and I and my Rotary Club feel as though it’s time to have it back. This community needs this and deserves this kind of event.”
Festivities on the Athol High School grounds over the weekend will include stage magic, an open mic night, car show, K-9 demonstration by Northeast Houndsmen and a dunk tank. A free fireworks show is slated to start at 9:15 p.m. on June 24.
“Athol is a great place to live. The North Quabbin area is a great place to live and why do we North Quabbin folks have to travel (outside the area) to go see fireworks, when we can have it right here?” Kessler said.
He said area businesses have contributed roughly $7,500 — enough to underwrite free admission to the fireworks.
“We decided to do this in March,” Kessler said with a laugh, thinking back to the daunting task. “We got a lot done. … Trying to raise money to pay for it is the hard thing. But, in this area, the people of Athol and Orange and Petersham have been so generous. It’s amazing.
“(Summerfests are) a lot of work, but they’re fun and they can make a lot of people happy,” he continued.
Kessler said Cushing Amusements of Wilmington will provide carnival entertainment. Tickets for rides will be used on June 22 and 25, while “pay-once” wristbands will be used June 23 and 24.
Families will also be able to leave with a free child identification kit made possible by the North Quabbin Lodge of Masons and the Masonic Youth Child Identification Program (MYCHIP). Packages will include a brief videotaped interview that can be quickly distributed to the media in order to reach a huge audience if a child goes missing. the kit also contains fingerprints, toothprints, and a cheek swab for DNA.
The MYCHIP program will be available in the high school’s cafeteria from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 25.
More information can be found at the event’s Facebook page, at bit.ly/2t2HMll.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 258.
On Twitter: @DomenicPoli