Andrea Ferrante, who grew up in Falmouth, remembers Old Home Days fondly.
Old Home Days are a New England tradition, and in Falmouth, Ferrante said, the day included an auction and fundraiser in support of the local Lions Club, a dunking tank and cotton candy for the children.
Jud Caswell will be among the musical performers at the Falmouth Community Fest Saturday. Contributed / Jud Caswell
“When we were kids, we thought of it as a fair,” she said. “The whole community got involved and they were so much fun.”
Ferrante wants to bring some of that community spirit back to Falmouth on a recurring basis. With the help of the rest of the town’s seven-member Falmouth Community Wellness Committee, of which she is chair, she has helped organize the first Falmouth Community Fest. The free, all-day bash on Saturday, June 22, at Tidewater Farm will feature food, musical artists, as well as booths for artists, craftspeople and wellness practitioners.
Activities for all ages are planned, including a trail walk, an adult mindful movement class – and even three mini horses from Alchemy Acres, which kids can pet and take a photo with.
The hope is to make the event an annual tradition, Ferrante said.
The goal of fostering stronger community bonds comes across in some of the organized events. One of the activities will be “speed friending” – a riff on speed dating where festival goers will participate in a facilitated discussion about what community means to them and then participate in ice breaker activities to get to know fellow residents and neighbors.
“One of the things that we’ve lost along the way to some degree, with COVID and just a lot of changes in the world, has been our connectivity, our ability to come together, gather and enjoy life together,” said Ferrante, who was a town councilor from 2016 to 2019. She sees the Community Fest as an antidote to that disconnectedness.
The committee, which formed three years ago, has put on other smaller events and produced a Community Wellness Resource Guide that provides a list of resources and tips for healthy living.
The Community Fest came together with a budget of $15,000 from the town. It will also generate some revenue from the artists, craftspeople and wellness practitioners who paid to rent booths. Ferrante is spearheading the event largely with the help of two other members of the Events Subcommittee within the Wellness Committee, Cate Petit and Deb Roy, and, according to Ferrante, two members of town staff: Assistant Town Manager Marguerite Fleming and Policy Analyst Amanda Methot-Vigue.
The festival, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will take place on June 22 at the Gardens at Tidewater Farm, 200 Presumpscot Point Road.
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