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Date: 6/29/2023
EAST LONGMEADOW — Residents in East Longmeadow are used to community events that pull out all the stops in East Longmeadow, and the Rotary Club is responsible for many of the events people attend each year.
East Longmeadow Rotary Club President Adele Hill said the Rotary Club begins planning in July for the following year’s Independence Day festivities. “We have different committees with a focus on each of the Rotary Club’s events,” Hill explained. The events run by the Rotary Club throughout the year, as well as sponsorships, donations and a grant from the East Longmeadow Cultural Council, make it possible to host the 4th of July events free to the community.
The first of those events is the carnival. Between June 30 and July 4, rides, games and other vendor booths will be set up at Center Field. “It has been the Reliable company for the past couple of years,” Hill said, adding that the Rotary Club has a good working relationship with the company.
Admission is free, while ride tickets and food are available for purchase.
“Due to popular demand,” Hill said, the beer garden will be back to run alongside the carnival this year. East Village Tavern, formerly Craft 32, will be hosting the beer garden.
On July 3, a fireworks display will be presented at East Longmeadow High School at 9:30 p.m., immediately following a concert by Trailer Trash. Hill explained that this is the 37th year that the club has organized a concert series for the town. Trailer Trash is the second of eight concerts scheduled each Wednesday throughout the summer.
The Rotary Club has been sponsoring fireworks “for the past few years, once the Jaycees were no longer active in town,” Hill said, adding, “Friends come, families come. We usually have thousands of people who come to watch the fireworks.”
On July 4, before the afternoon’s celebration, the Rotary Club will host the Freedom Four Miler road race, sponsored by 4RUN3, a runner training and retail shop. The one-hour race will take place immediately before the parade.
There is a $35 registration fee, which increases to $40 after July 1. A virtual option is available to people who cannot attend the in-person event.
The male and female runners who place first, second and third will receive a prize of $300, $200 and $100, respectively. A prize basket will be awarded to the most patriotic participant.
To sign up, or for more information about the race, visit runsignup.com/Race/MA/EastLongmeadow/ELFreedom4Miler.
After the race, the East Longmeadow 4th of July Parade begins. Hill said the Rotarians helped the East Longmeadow 4th of July Parade Committee organize the parade.
Marchers will step off at 10 a.m. from the high school and head down Maple Street, through the rotary and onto North Main Street. The parade will then take a left onto Maple Shade Avenue and turn down Elm Street to end at Birchland Park Middle School.
This year’s 4th of July Parade grand marshal is former East Longmeadow High School principal and past School Committee member Richard Freccero. The parade will also feature veterans, bands, floats, marching units and end with the Shriners.