Town Day hits common this Saturday

Town Day! In Stoneham, those words together in print seem to cry out for an exclamation point. The very thought of the big event gets children and adults of all ages excited about the many familiar and sometimes new sights, sounds, and activities that await them on the Town Common.

On Saturday, Sept. 15, Stoneham will hold its 24^th Town Day celebration. The event serves as a perfect transition from late summer to early fall, as it offers elements of both. There are summer-like carnival rides and games and there are previews of happenings that promise to provide entertainment in the fall.

Although Town Day is not a holiday, it feels like one. Every September there’s a buzz in the air. As the days and nights of summer recreation and travel pass away into memory, the community begins to reconnect. Students return to school, athletes begin competing in fall sports, homeowners dedicate more time to outdoor work, and shoppers spend more time in local stores gearing up for the change of season. Town Day is where everyone is welcome to come out and become a part of something special.

Along with the town of Stoneham, the Chamber of Commerce plays a vital role in making Town Day possible. The chamber’s Web site (www.stonehamchamber.org) proudly states: “We are all about our community.” The chamber also works to provide the summer concert series and the tree lighting on the common. The Chamber of Commerce Town Day Co-Chairs are Stephen DeCrescenzo of Personal Choice Realty and Anthony Clark of DCS Services, Inc. It’s the work of these men and so many other volunteers that gives us all the opportunity to stroll along the common and see our friends and neighbors, enjoy live local music and dance performances on two stages, and have that grilled sausage and peppers sandwich that just makes the Town Day experience complete.

As in the past, Town Day kicks off with a 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) road race to benefit a local charity. After many years, the traditional race will change its name, but the race will always have a special place in my heart. I completed my first 5-K road race, the Al Duff, Jr. Memorial Run for DARE, on Town Day in 2002. This year I registered to run the Stoneham Public Schools Foundation 5-K Road Race. You can join me in the run or you can register ($20 on race day) to simply walk the course that takes you from Town Hall to Spot Pond and back down Main Street. The starting gun goes off at 9 a.m., but Stoneham’s youth are invited to come out early and participate in the 200-meter Quick Loop Fun Run (kindergarten to third grade) starting at 8:30 a.m. or the One Mile Run (fourth to eighth grade) beginning at 8:45 a.m.

The Town Day celebration begins at 11 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m. The celebration showcases the many business, recreation, artistic, cultural, and non-profit organizations that make our town such a vibrant place to live. Tables and tents line the common. It’s a traditional practice for sponsors and participants to provide freebies to those who stop by their spaces to say hello. Many groups provide fun activities such as face painting, arts and crafts, games, and contests. The Stoneham Fire Department, at the corner of Central and Emerson streets, always opens its doors to those who want to meet our brave firefighters or get a better look at the town’s fire equipment and emergency vehicles.

Girl Scouts will conduct registration for current and new scouts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the common. Girl Scouts is open to all girls ages 5-17. Today’s scouts learn more than you may expect. Stoneham girls participate in programs focusing on car care, technology skills, and breast cancer awareness to name just a few.

         Corporate sponsors want to be a part of Town Day too. Comcast, The Gutierrez Company, RCN, StonehamBank, Stoneham Savings Bank, Winchester Hospital, and DCS Service, Inc. aid the Chamber of Commerce in making Town Day such a great time for everyone.

Re/Max will sponsor the hot air balloon event at Recreation Park from 8 a.m. to noon. The event benefits Stoneham Recreation.

If you’d rather stay on the ground (or at least lower in the air) visit “The Slide” (to benefit the Jimmy Fund), the Extreme Obstacle Course, or Stone Zoo’s “Zoomobile.” If I participate in those events you may find me at the Seventh Day Adventist Blood Pressure Van seeking medical assistance.

I plan to be on hand to help the Stoneham Public Schools Foundation register children and adults for its 2007 SPSF Miniature Golf Tournament at Hago Harrington’s (Sat., Sept. 22, starting at 9 a.m.).

There will be more than 100 fun-filled booths and more events and activities on Saturday than I can list here, but there’s always something for everyone. Come on out to Town Day and see how you can reconnect with Stoneham.

—Email Randy Perillo at Perillo@rcn.com