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Date: 5/25/2022
CHESTER — Chester on Track was back in full force for its 31st anniversary on May 21. The parade at 10 a.m. featured antique cars, tractors and lawnmowers, including a strong Corvette contingent. Emergency services were represented by several local vehicles as well as the new Hampden County Sheriff’s Mounted Police and their horses, Billy and Wilkey, who were named after fallen officers.
The Pioneer Valley Fiddlers were among the bands playing on the porch of the Historic Riverside Inn, where local crafters and artisans and members of the Jacobs Ladder Business Association set up booths on either side.
In front of the inn, Maggie the Railroad Clown, who rode the circus train with Ringling Bros. for three years, made balloon armbands and swords to the delight of the little ones. One child asked her why she wore so much makeup, and she said her mother had asked her the same thing that morning.
People also gathered at the street corner for a shuttle ride, driven by Gateway School Superintendent Kristen Smidy, up to the trailhead of the Keystone Arches.
She said most people did not want to take the 5-mile round trip hike in the heat, but were happy to walk down to the first of the historic landmark Keystone Arches, the double bridge, and maybe dip their feet in the water.
Down at the Chester Railway Museum, also designated a historic landmark, train enthusiasts staffed booths inside the station, while volunteers in the Blue Caboose served food made in the vintage dining car. Singer Mark Franklin and the rock band 413 played outside Chester Railway Museum on one end, and Revolutionary War and Civil War re-enactors, and members of the Wild and Scenic Westfield River Committee, spoke to visitors at the other.
Rob Keenan of Agawam, who was sporting a three-cornered hat, said he expects the years leading up to the 250th celebration in 2026 to provide a lot more opportunities to focus on the local history of the Revolutionary War.
The Massachusetts State Police brought their K-9 unit for demonstrations at the ballfield, where the Hilltown Family Center set up a story walk of “The Little Engine That Could” by Watty Piper, and Chester Elementary School hosted a bake and crafts sale.
Huntington Police Chief Robert Garriepy, who helped direct the cars and engines through Main Street during the parade, also brought several misting units that were donated for the day by the Western Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council.
Asked about the temperatures in the high 80s, Chester Foundation President David Pierce said at least it wasn’t snowing or raining. Pierce said they have had all three during previous Chester on Track celebrations.