SHREWSBURY – Organizers of the 2024 Spirit of Shrewsbury Fall Festival are excited to announce that this year’s two grand marshals are Maria Smith and Frank Vaccaro. Though both prefer to do their good work out of the limelight, Smith and Vaccaro have been recognized as among the best Shrewsbury has to offer.
“Our grand marshals don’t necessarily want attention — they’re doing it for all the right reasons. They love the community, they love the town, they want to give back to the people in the community,” said Spirit of Shrewsbury’s Grand Marshal Committee member D’Arcy McCarthy.
Maria Smith
A longtime event organizer and former president of the Spirit of Shrewsbury, Smith estimates she’s been involved with the festival (in one way or another) for roughly 22 out of the 28 years it has been held. She’s organized concerts, parades, and celebratory luncheons — but this year, it’s her turn to be honored.
Smith has lived in Shrewsbury “forever” — and she’s loved every minute of it. Even aside from her decades-long effort running Spirit of Shrewsbury, Smith has an almost-unrivaled record of volunteering and participating in the community. She’s the president of the Shrewsbury High School Alumni Association, a board member of the Shrewsbury High School Athletic Boosters Club, president of the Friends of the Senior Center, and secretary of the Italian American Victory Club.
All that on top of running her business, Maria Smith Real Estate, where she spends her time talking to prospective residents about the town. With an in-depth understanding of the Shrewsbury housing market, Smith also sits on the Shrewsbury Housing Authority.
“I think Shrewsbury offers so much. We’re a small town, well-run. I think the people here take a lot of pride in their town. People take the time to explore history. We also have so much to offer educationally. We’re a small town, but we’re on the cutting edge of everything,” Smith told the Community Advocate.
Frank Vaccaro
Vaccaro has a reputation on the baseball diamond — he’s well-known in the American Legion community for his ability to consistently field an excellent team. While Vaccaro does indeed devote significant time and energy teaching his 13- to 19-year-old players balls from strikes, he’s just as renowned for his ability to teach right from wrong. He’s a coach athletes have said they enjoy competing for.
“Honestly, I don’t do it for [awards]. I do it because I love what I do — I love young people,” said Vaccaro. “The day I stop loving it, I guess I’ll step aside and give it up, but I’m not ready to do that yet … We try to teach the players that it’s not just about baseball, it’s about life’s lessons and building memories.”
Vaccaro has lived in Shrewsbury for 40 years, and has coached the Shrewsbury Victor R. Quaranta American Legion Post 397 baseball team for the last 26 years, with 18 years as head coach. The team has made every regional tournament since 2016, including American Legion World Series berths in 2017, 2019, and 2022. Post 397 won the state championship as recently as August.
Beyond baseball, Vaccaro spends time with his 10 grandchildren. He is a supporter of St. Mary’s Parish and a number of other initiatives around town that he preferred not to be recognized publicly for.
“I would never leave Shrewsbury. I think people in Shrewsbury care about each other. For the most part, the core of the community is there when you need them. I don’t believe that anybody in Shrewsbury tries to do anything but good. It still has that small, hometown feel,” said Vaccaro.
