Founders Day in Foxboro, MA
Foxboro,MA Founders Day organizers promote the annual event early and often. Well ahead of this special day Founders Day banners appear in the downtown area announcing this year’s date. Donation cans are found in the stores of many local merchants encouraging community financial support of the event, especially the costly fireworks display. In 2006, Founders Day in Foxboro, MA will be celebrated on Saturday June 10. .
Since its inception Founders Day has been a focal point around which a cluster of activities have developed creating a snowball effect. The simple idea of commemorating the incorporation of the town in 1778 now generates a cavalcade of social events, athletic competitions, patriotic displays and family reunions. Each year is a little different and special events may include a golf tournament, road race, fishing derby, pancake breakfast or dinner dance. But whatever else happens it seems that annually Founders Day in Foxboro, MA itself pivots around three key events: the Founders Day Parade, field day events and a fireworks display. Each venue is different and has its own proponents but many celebrants just come for the day and enjoy it all.
This year, as in the past, the Foxboro, MA Founders Day parade will kick off at 10:00 a.m., process through the downtown area and loop around the historic town common eventually dispersing near the Booth Playground, a central town recreation area. The beginning of the parade is always proclaimed loudly by a seemingly endless lineup of fire engines and emergency vehicles from Foxboro and neighboring towns. When the equipment parade has passed by the lineup of bands, floats and organized walkers takes over.
At the head of the line of march frequently is the Foxboro High School Marching Band. Led by directorial standout, conductor Stephen Massey, the town band and accompanying drill team numbers some 100 local students and is a fitting reminder of why residents of Foxboro take pride in their young people and in their home town.
Additional musical units are interspersed along the line of march. While the Foxboro Founders Day Parade cannot compete in size with large city parades, still local banks, real estate companies, and merchants do their best to attract and sponsor an interesting variety of entertaining musical groups. Routinely spectators are treated in the same parade to a banjo band, fife and drum company, bagpipe band, veterans band and of course the traditional drum and bugle corps. Foxboro Founders Day parade always provides musical diversity.
More important perhaps than the music itself is the army of floats and marchers who keep time to the varying tunes. Each float and each marching group represents some element of what citizens believe is good about Foxboro. There are elementary school children, scouts, senior citizens, town and state officials, church groups and representatives of almost every adult organization in town. It’s hard to believe that with all these local figures in the line of march there are still people left in town to serve as spectators and yet the parade route is packed with waving, applauding, appreciative onlookers.
When the parade is finally completed, many participants and viewers follow the trail toward the Booth Playground where they know fun and food await them. The full celebration of community that takes place at ” the Booth is what Founders Day in Foxboro, MA is really all about. Spread out across the recreation field is a massive display of games, contests, food vendors, musicians, rides and amusements of every kind manned for the most part by Foxboro residents of every age. There is old fashioned strawberry shortcake to eat or take home and hot dogs fresh off the grill but there is also ring toss, face painting and bouncing games for the kids. Providing background music are groups with diverse styles and repertoires that alternate performances throughout the day. Add the traditional doll carriage parade and competition and a little three on three basketball championship event and you can see what draws families to the field activities at Founders Day in Foxboro, MA.
Some folks call it a day after exhausting the afternoon opportunities for fun, food and friendship but far more folks take a short break, perhaps a nap and prepare to come back at sunset when another type of Founders Day parade ensues. Out of nowhere at about 7:30 or 8 p.m. families begin the festive march from their parked cars back to the Booth Playground carrying lawn chairs, blankets, insect repellent, refreshments and small children. At the playground they stake out a sitting place where the whole family or groups of friends can settle dosn and socialize while awaiting the climax of Founders Day in Foxboro. When the sun finally sets usually about 9:30 p.m. the fireworks display begins. Each year this spectacle seems just a little longer and a little more elaborate. When the grand finale of light fills the sky, there is likely to be a collective sigh and then long, appreciative applause which signals the conclusion of Founders Day in Foxboro, MA. It may be a day meant for Foxboro citizens to display the pride they share in their town, but it is also a day that is filled with joy for everyone who takes time to attend.
