The Rotary Club will host a concession stand at the Celebrate East Longmeadow event as in years past, serving warm food. This photo shows the club’s 2023 stand.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
EAST LONGMEADOW — This year’s Celebrate East Longmeadow event will take place on Oct. 12 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Center Field. The annual event will feature new organizations and activities for families to enjoy.
Hosted by the East Longmeadow Rotary Club, Celebrate East Longmeadow first began in 2012 with the intention to create a fun event to bring families together, Rotarian Adele Hill told Reminder Publishing. With October being a busy time for families with students, the event seeks to offer a chance for families to spend time together away from their busy lives and enjoy the event.
The event will offer opportunities for early holiday shopping from 50 local craft vendors, hayrides, pumpkin decorating, a costume parade, a bounce house, a treat bag scavenger hunt for younger children, and performances by singer Madison Curbelo, who previously appeared on NBC’s “The Voice,” local cheer teams and local K-9.
This year, the celebration will also welcome back the East Longmeadow High School robotics team for demonstrations of their drone. New attractions this year will include a climbing wall and multiple new Western Massachusetts vendors. The climbing wall was donated by the East Longmeadow Recreation Department, Hill said.
The cheer team will be performing at 11 a.m. in front of the bandshell, the K-9 demonstration will occur at 12 p.m., the children’s costume parade is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., and Curbelo will perform at 1 p.m. An official schedule is also published online on the East Longmeadow Rotary Club website. Children participating in the parade should meet at the bandshell. Residents are also encouraged to bring lawn chairs for Curbelo’s performance.
Available food will include macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, hamburgers, baked potatoes, chili and popcorn as well as options for special non-alcoholic drinks.
She noted that both attendance to the event and the performances, including Curbelo’s show, will be free to the public. With 1,200 visitors to Celebrate East Longmeadow 2023, Hill stated that she hoped for even more attendance this year.
Visitors can also enter a raffle at the event with prizes gifted from the local craft vendors. Tickets can be purchased at $1 each or $5 for six tickets.
Celebrate East Longmeadow 2024 will be supported in part by a grant awarded by the East Longmeadow Cultural Council, through the purchase of needed products and of the performances, as well as sponsorships from local businesses, Hill explained.
Donations to the East Longmeadow Rotary Club go toward local, national and international needs with past funds supporting funds for schools, Florida hurricane damage, Hawaii fires and support for Ukraine. The organization is not-for-profit and run by volunteers, Hill noted.
Residents interested in donating to the Rotary Club will be able to do so in-person at the Celebrate East Longmeadow event as well as online at the East Longmeadow Rotary Club website, she said.
Another upcoming event by the East Longmeadow Rotary Club is the trunk-or-treat, hosted in partnership with the East Longmeadow Recreation Department and Council on Aging. This event will take place from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 at the Pleasant View Senior Center. Additional information is available on the Rotary Club’s website.
For more information about the Celebrate EL event or East Longmeadow Rotary Club, visit facebook.com/elrotaryclub.org or elrotaryclub.org.
