Inaugural Swampscott Summer Fest Aims To Showcase Seaside Attractions
SWAMPSCOTT, MA — In a 3-square-mile town most residents are never really that far from each other.
Bringing those residents together for community events — especially in the seaside hub of the Humphrey Street section of town — has been an ongoing challenge for town officials seeking to build connection, town pride and reduce isolation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This summer, for the first time, those efforts include the Humphrey Street Summer Block Party, set to feature music, food trucks, at least two beer gardens (East Regiment Beer Company and Coastal Mass Brewing), a kids’ carnival area, and local vendors lining the streets from noon to 4 p.m. on Aug. 12.
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“It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a really long time,” Swampscott Recreation Director Danielle Strauss told Patch. “I was sitting around talking about it with (Town Administrator) Sean (Fitzgerald) one day and we just said: ‘Let’s make it work this year.'”
Strauss said she reached out to local businesses about the idea of closing the road to vehicle traffic for the afternoon from Redington Street to the start of Fisherman’s Beach for a summer block party and received positive feedback, with some offering to be vendors at the event.
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The event itself is set to take place between Mission on the Bay and Beatrice Insurance.
“Swampscott has one of the most extraordinary views of the Boston skyline and we are so excited to host a spectacular community celebration,” Fitzgerald told Patch. “We encourage all attendees to take public transportation and gear up for a wonderful day of no-cost/low-cost entertainment and food in historic Swampscott.”
Strauss said the town and recreation will look to promote the event heavily through social media, email blasts, electronic newsletters and media outreach in hoping it will bring both residents and visitors to the shore and either engage them or introduce them to the array of Swampscott small businesses there.
Vendors who wish to participate in the event can sign up to do so here. Strauss said a $25 vendor fee is being charged to cover police and other event expenses.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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