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Annual Family Day to shift schedule, expand offerings

FILE PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO

The Friends of Hopkinton’s annual Family Day event mostly will remain the same this year, with some aspects of the day changing and expanding to better accommodate attendees.

Pat O’Brien, member of the Friends and an organizer of the event, noted that the biggest change will be timing. He explained that in previous years the event would run from 2-6 p.m. with fireworks scheduled for around 7:45 p.m. According to O’Brien, this created a lull between the end of the event and the fireworks “despite the fact we had great entertainment.”

In recognizing this gap, organizers have shifted the event to 3-7 p.m. “That way, we’ll try to keep everything rolling right up until it starts to get dark and people can settle in for the entertainment and then the fireworks,” said O’Brien.

Another way the Friends is looking to improve the experience of the day for both attendees and entertainers is the addition of a second stage. O’Brien stated that one stage would be dedicated to just the musicians.

“[This] will keep things continuous,” O’Brien noted. “Especially when we get to later bands … it takes too long to get one band off and another band on.”

O’Brien expressed excitement about returning music acts to the event this year. He noted Steve Spector and Hot Acoustics will play just before the fireworks, and Hopkinton resident Carol Cheney’s band By Chance They Met is scheduled to perform as well.

About 30-40 local organizations will participate in the event this year, and mainstays of Family Day such as the inflatable bounce houses and magic shows will be back. There also will be an array of food trucks with an expanded variety of food available. O’Brien noted there would be a chicken and rice truck this year and another serving Caribbean food. Multiple dessert trucks will participate as well.

Family Day is scheduled for Sept. 19, with a rain date of Sept. 26. O’Brien noted the day — like all of the Friends’ events throughout the year — is intended to foster community.

— NICK SCHOFIELD

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Photo of the Day

Geese cross a rainy road in Hopkinton State Park on a recent day.

PHOTO/NICK SCHOFIELD