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07/01/2015 01:15 PMThe Guilford Parks & Recreation Department is in the midst of one of its busiest times of the year with summer camp underway and lots of plans for entertainment for the town, including summer concerts and the Guilford Community Picnic and Fireworks Display, which will be held on Saturday, July 11, starting on the Green and moving to the Fairgrounds.
The event kicks off on the Guilford Green at 4 p.m. with the Community Picnic that will feature a concert, food trucks, face-painting, and inflatable slides, moonbounces, obstacle courses, and more for the children.
“We will have a food truck or two,” said Parks & Recreation Director Rick Maynard. “People can also bring a picnic dinner or we encourage them to patronize the restaurants around the Green.”
While picnic dinners are encouraged, alcohol is prohibited at both the Community Picnic and at the fairgrounds.
The Community Picnic began in 2000 and the Parks & Recreation Department has sponsored the event ever since. In the past, several community organizations have gotten involved and run booths. This year, the Guilford High School hockey team will sell hot dogs, chips, and water and run a hockey activity for the children. The Guilford Civic Women will sell cookies.
“We’re glad these organizations came forward to participate,” said Maynard.
The concert on the Green will feature a 100-piece community band that is directed by Mark Gahm. The band is made up of professional musicians, as well as high school and college students—and even an 8th-grader.
“It is definitely one of the highlights and draws a lot of people,” said Maynard. “The show is amazing.”
Gahm took over direction of the group when Jason Thompson, the group’s founder, moved away. While he has been directing for the past several years, Gahm has been involved since the band’s inception as a member.
Gahm notes that the age range of the musicians makes it a unique experience for the performers. As a teacher at the high school, he encourages his students to join, as well as fellow music teachers.
“The ranks keep growing—there are whole families who are able to perform together,” said Gahm. “For the town, it’s a wonderful community event. Guilford has always been a town that has valued the arts and valued music.”
The performance takes place after the nearly 100 musicians have just four rehearsals. Gahm is thankful to the Parks & Recreation Department for its support of the concert over the years and happy to have the concert as part of the post-Fourth of July festivities.
“Everyone has a common goal—they want to sound good,” said Gahm. “It’s nice that it’s gotten paired up with that event as there’s a built-in audience, a real fun thing for the community, and it’s great the band can be part of it. The Guilford Green is a wonderful spot to have a performance.”
At 7 p.m., the festivities move to the Guilford Fairgrounds where there will be more inflatable entertainment for the children, food vendors, and a concert featuring the Creedence-Fogerty Tribute Band. There is no charge for any of the entertainment, but the Agricultural Society will charge for parking at the Fairgrounds.
The band will perform until 9:15 p.m. when Meghan Vanacore will sing the National Anthem. The fireworks begin after the National Anthem. Atlas Fireworks is again putting on Guilford’s show.
“They do a phenomenal job and every year, people tell me it’s the best fireworks they see,” said Maynard. “It’s not the most expensive show, but the location makes it special because you’re right underneath. With the close proximity, we can do some low-lying special effects—people love that because they don’t see it anywhere else.”
Maynard said that while about 5,000 to 6,000 turn out to the fairgrounds each year to see the fireworks, others watch from the Green, Jacobs Beach, and the train station. He notes that while fireworks can be seen from those points, viewers might “miss the low stuff.”
The fireworks are funded by the Town of Guilford’s budget, but the Parks & Recreation Department provides the other activities like the music, inflatables, and more.
Maynard also credits the Guilford Police Department and Guilford Fire Department for their efforts. The assistant fire marshal spends the entire day at the Fairgrounds as Atlas sets up its display and the fire crew and fire trucks are on hand during the event in case of emergency.
“While it’s a Parks & Recreation-organized event, we get tremendous support from the Fire Department and Police Department,” said Maynard. “It’s a great community event and probably the largest town-sponsored event. We want to remind everyone not to bring alcohol or fireworks. It’s a family event and we want it to stay that way.”
In case of rain, the Community Picnic with the band performance will remain as scheduled on July 11, but the fireworks and concert at the fairgrounds will be moved to Sunday, July 12.