Scarborough Summerfest 2024 will take place Friday, Aug. 16 from 5 to 10 p.m. Contributed / Scarborough Community Services

Scarborough’s 28th annual Summerfest on Aug. 16 will provide plenty of fun for all ages from 5 to 10 p.m. at Clifford Mitchell Sports Complex and the surrounding area, capped off with a fireworks show.

The celebratory event will once again feature the Summerfest 5K and Kids Fun Run hosted by the Scarborough Track and Cross-Country Boosters.

The Kids’ Bounce Zone is a favorite of both kids and adults, according to Nicole Hall, operations and events manager at Scarborough Community Services.

“We get about six or seven inflatable items, kind of fence it in, and the kids can go nuts in that area,” Hall said. “Parents always love that; getting to wear out those kiddos.”

Pony rides and a train ride around the event are also popular, Hall said, and there will be plenty of other activities, too, provided by about 40 local businesses and organizations. And there will be food trucks.

“There are different goody items for sale, food, ice cream, cotton candy, raffles, dance performances,” Hall said. “There will be a big area set up by police and fire where they’ll have a whole bunch of demonstrations, and they will have their vehicles there, too.”

Live entertainment is a staple of the event and this year’s performer is Springsteen Road.

“They are a different iteration of the Time Pilots, a local band known for retro hits,” Hall said. “I guess they had a lot of requests for Bruce Springsteen’s music, and so they decided to offer that.”

Meanwhile, the Kids 1-Mile Fun Run will kick off at 6 p.m., followed by the Summerfest 5K at 6:30 p.m.

“It’s raising funds to support the athletes that are part of the high school track teams and cross country teams,” said Marshall Merriam, race director. “It provides things like jackets to team members when they win the state competition, food for different events, or occasionally to cover transportation or entry fees for meets that are not covered by the school.”

Roughly 75 to 100 people have participated in the 5K in past years, Merriam said, with at least a few dozen still showing up for rain dates when needed.

“Runs and races are a good way to bring in community members and involve them in something related to track and cross country while people can have a good time, win some prizes and contribute to a good cause,” he said.

The races have become the biggest of booster club’s fundraisers.

“This has the benefit of being coupled with the Summerfest event in total,” he said. “There will be a lot of people around with other reasons to be there, unlike a couple of the other events the boosters put on throughout the year.”

Meanwhile, the races drive more people to Summerfest proper, which has seen 2,000 to 2,500 people throughout the evening in recent years.

“They generally get a really good showing of people at that event,” Hall said of the races. “It’s toward the beginning of our event when people start coming into it, so it’s a great way for people to do or see an activity ahead of time and then come down and feast and see their neighbors and friends.”

Hall said parking closest to the park at the tennis courts will be handicap parking only. All other attendees are encouraged to park in the Wentworth and high school parking lots.

For more information on Summerfest and to register for the races, go to the town’s website at scarboroughmaine.org and navigate to the Community Services Department’s events page.