A previous East Longmeadow Recreation event with vendors and a bounce house.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
EAST LONGMEADOW — East Longmeadow Recreation, in partnership with the Rotary Club, has a long list of upcoming events for residents to celebrate 250 years of the United States.
Inspired by the town’s annual Oktoberfest comes the first Summerfest on June 6 at Brown Farm, 64 Hampden Road, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
East Longmeadow Recreation Director Donna Prather said there have been four Oktoberfests and each of which have been very popular, so Summerfest felt right with the 250th celebrations and the 1976-2026 time capsule opening approaching quickly.
“It was like one day, we said ‘hey let’s duplicate Oktoberfest and have Summerfest,’” Prather said. “I start planning Oktoberfest, you know, 10 months in advance. This one’s falling together quite well, just because of the success, I believe, of Oktoberfest, but it certainly was not on my radar until about a month ago maybe.”
Prather said that the Historical Commission will attend the event, giving people the chance to submit items for the new 2026-2076 time capsule, set to be buried in Heritage Park on July 18.
East Village Tavern will be there to provide adult beverages, along with a variety of food trucks, such as Jeannie’s Weenies and Dev’s Mac N’ Eats. The Rotary Club will also be serving concessions.
“Then we’ll also have just fun stuff, like a bounce house, a dunk tank, Busy Bees Preschool always sets up games for the kids,” Prather said. “We’ll have pony rides and goats that people can cuddle from Cloverbrook Farm.”
The event will include a fair amount of vendors, such as Blake’s Creation selling hand knit items, PaperPie selling children’s books and puzzles and Kathy’s Sweet Bites selling dirty soda and mini pancakes.
Prather said vendors, sponsors or educational groups can still apply by contacting 413-525-5437 or emailing recreation@eastlongmeadowma.gov. Vendors who are selling items have a $25 fee for a table but tables for educational groups looking to speak about what they offer to the community are free.
She added that the event is trying to organize with sports groups and different people in town as well to participate in the dunk tank, with all proceeds going to East Longmeadow events and charities of their choice.
The end of June also sees a week of events at Center Field from the Rotary Club leading up to Independence Day. Each event runs from 5-7 p.m. with different bands performing every night at 7 p.m. and an East Village Tavern beer garden until 10 p.m.
June 26 is a car and truck show, June 27 has yard games with East Longmeadow Recreation and a town bonfire, June 28 is a corn hole tournament and June 29 is a veterans appreciation dinner.
The Center Field Carnival runs from June 30 to Independence Day, open from 6-10 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Independence Day. The beer garden and live bands will also be at the carnival during the same times as the previously listed events, with the exception of Independence Day beer garden hours from noon to 4 p.m.
July 3 at 9 p.m. is the laser light show at Mapleshade School and the Independence Day Parade kicks off at East Longmeadow High School from 10 a.m. to noon on July 4.
The full calendar of events with live bands can be viewed in one place at elrotaryclub.org under “summer 2026 events.”
