Planning for the festival – by organizers and visitors alike – gets under way months ahead of its launch.
“Inquiries to our Harwich Information Center show that people start planning to attend the Cranberry Festival several months in advance. Calls come in as early as December and January trying to tie down the dates of the next festival,” said Sandra Davidson, executive director of the Harwich Chamber of Commerce. “We field countless phone inquiries as September draws nearer and we distribute hundreds of festival brochures to visitors, residents and second homeowners,” she added.
The chamber’s annual Taste of Harwich, set for Thursday, Sept. 4, officially launches the festival. Featuring a wide range of local cuisine from Harwich restaurants, the taste is held at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School. Tickets may still be available by calling 508-430-1165.
The Cranberry Festival is important to the local economy, Davidson said.
“In addition to the significant number of vendors who come to town for a number of days and utilize lodging and dining businesses (as well as others), festival patrons also support the local economy, perhaps exploring local shops or even just buying gas and snacks. They also become familiar with the town, and see it as a vacation destination,” said Davidson.
The chamber will participate in the parade this year, as will members of the Harwich Historical Society, which was happy to learn the theme of the 2008 parade is “Harwich Then and Now.”
Desiree Mobed, director of the society, said its volunteers “of all ages will be marching in the parade, and wearing 19th century era costumes to represent Harwich past.”
“The parade revives a popular town event which began in the early 20th century and was the highlight of what was called Old Home Week,” said Mobed, adding, “For years the parade brought the community together for a wonderful celebration of past and present and the society looks forward to helping promote this tradition again.”
Angelina Raneo Chilaka will be grand marshal of the parade. She’ll be riding in style during the parade, said Kathy Peterson, chairman of the festival. Part-time resident Charlie Bollack is donating the use of his vintage car, made by Johnson Motor Company. It has a Corvette engine and is much the same style as the Duesenberg, said Peterson.
In this big election year, political activists in Harwich are getting involved, too, by taking part in the Cranberry Festival Parade with a Cape Cod Rocks the Vote float.
Organized by John Bangert and Selectman Ed McManus, the float will feature a row of voting booths and banner scripts that read “Still Voting after all the Years,” a nod to the 80th anniversary of Cape Cod Women Voting, according to a statement from Bangert.
The organizers also are planning a voter registration drive during next weekend’s festival events, during the craft fair and carnival.
We plan to meet at Ed Mc Mansu house at 9AM to gather and furnish and finish the float. Then we will be at the Harwich Middle School on Sisson Rd to Ride of March!
The festival launches Saturday, Sept. 6, with Kids’ Day at the Pleasant Road Beach, followed by the parade on Sunday, which steps off from Doane Road, heads east along Route 28 then up Bank Street to Main Street and Old Colony Way across from Brooks Park. After the parade, festivities will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the gifting of the park in 1908 by Sidney Brooks Gifford. Float contests will be held then, too, and the historical society will sponsor some fun events.
On Friday, Sept. 12, a fireworks display will be set off from the east end of Red River Beach, and on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13 and 14, a carnival and craft show will be held at the fairgrounds behind Harwich High School on Oak Street. (See box, Page 1, for full schedule of events.)
There’s a $7 admission charge for adults to enter the fairgrounds where the carnival, craft show and entertainment are held.
Anyone interested in volunteering at the festival can call the festival committee at 508-430-2811.
No comments:
Post a Comment