March 7

Windham Summerfest a no-go, again

By Leslie Bridgers lbridgers@pressherald.com
Staff Writer

WINDHAM — The town's on-again off-again summer festival is a no-go this year.

After about six years running, Windham Summerfest is once again on hiatus, Town Manager Tony Plante told town councilors in an email Thursday.

"We are having an increasingly hard time finding new volunteers to step up and help organize and run Windham's summer community event," Plante wrote.

Although town officials and volunteers felt they could have put on an event, it would have been a less appealing, scaled-back version, Plante said.

"(We) would rather not put on an event that doesn't reflect well on the town – or worse, is unsafe — and have decided to call off Summerfest for this year," Plante said.

Plante said, over the years, there have been several iterations of the summer festival, at different times called Old Home Days, Julyfest, Summerfest I and Summerfest II.

The festival, he said, "has a history of running for a few years, burning people out, going away for a couple of years and coming back."

Held in June, the daylong event has included a pancake breakfast, parade, carnival rides, musical performances and fireworks.

"Taking a year or two off may be beneficial, allowing some new ideas to bubble up, and maybe Summerfest III will be the charm," Plante said.

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