SOUTHBOROUGH – The fleeting moments of summer were well-spent in Southborough.
With summer almost over and the start of the school year looming, community members gathered outside of Margaret Neary Elementary School on Aug. 26 to end the season with Southborough Recreation’s 20th annual Summer Nights celebration. The event is meant to bring people together, provide an oasis from end-of-summer sadness and thank the community.
“Summer for the Recreation Department is obviously one of our biggest seasons. It’s what we invest a lot of our time in. Having this at the end of the summer gives us an opportunity to give back to the community – one last real hurrah before the kids go back to school and families are done with vacations,” Director of Recreation Tim Davis told the Community Advocate.
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The event is no small undertaking for the Recreation Department. Summer Nights featured over a dozen food options, including Yummy Mummy Bakery, Cousins Maine Lobster, Potato Potato, Uhlman’s, Trolley Dogs and Shabby Gourmet.
“[We plan] all year,” said Davis. “We really mobilize maybe four or five months prior with public safety and public works. Pretty much every department in town has their hand in this, so it takes a lot.”
Hit the Bus performed live music throughout the event and fireworks were lit at dusk. Families came early with blankets and lawn chairs to get the perfect viewing angle. The fields surrounding Neary were packed; hundreds of people were in attendance. The perfect weather also helped draw crowds.
There was something for everyone at the event, including bounce castles, lawn games, balloon animals, face painting, goodies from community sponsors, and fresh flowers from Gulbankian Florist.
As Davis watched the hundreds of people laughing, smiling, and enjoying the atmosphere, he reflected on how rewarding organizing the event is for the Recreation Department.
“It’s reinvigorating. At the end of the summer, we’re tired. We’ve been doing a lot, but we come out here, we see all the familiar faces, the kids – it makes it all worth it,” he said.
