The Colchester Parks and Recreation Department Hosts Yet Another Wonderful 57 Fest
This year, the 13th annual 57 Fest was held on September 23, at the Colchester Parks and Recreation RECPLEX. In 2005, Colchester was named the 57th most spectacular place to live in all of the U.S.A by Money Magazine. Ever since, the town of Colchester has held an annual festival in honor of our small town’s fame.
The first couple of booths to be set up were the four Parks and Recreation ones. These were information booths, and one was also a first aid area. The booths were for more than just information; they also sold glow sticks, water, and $7 bracelets that got you a pass into all of the activities going on during the 57 Fest. At around 3:00, food trucks and booths started to arrive. Also the usual rock wall and bounce houses/slides arrived as well. Some activities were put on one of the park’s baseball fields, ones that were normally near the skate parks. So that was something new, but it was that way this year to save room for new and exciting activities for this special year.
Some oldies but goodies came back from last year. These included the Colchester Republican’s Spin Art (which was fantastic, fun, and free like always, no bracelet or upfront fee required), the chiropractor booth, and Big Daddy Racing (a big hit for the teenage boys and young children). As usual the Bacon Academy cheerleaders performed in front of the big stage at around 4:30, wowing us all with their strength, endurance,and energy. Another regular performance by Doreen’s Dance Center occurred. They did the most dances I think they have ever done. Through the heat, the dancers kept their energy up!
For new and other regular exciting booths to visit, there was orienteering, rope climbing, archery, and the Bacon Academy Fencing booth where you could try your hand at fencing, a dog park booth with treats for the dogs that were there at the event, a “guess how much candy corn is in the jars” booth, the Cragin Memorial Library held a story walk booth (this booth let children and families walk through a story and be a part of each scene in real life!). There was a wicked fun free photo booth hosted by Big Daddy Racing; a Farm to School Council booth; the Bacon Academy Robotics Club, which had an area to show off their robots; Colchester Democrats; a day care in Colchester; a car seat safety reminder booth, a fun and exhilarating toss, and many more fun and exciting booths at this years 57 Fest, as usual.
For the younger, tired, or easily bored kids and teens, there were the usual park attractions open for fun. The “big kid’ playground by the skate park and the “little kid” playground by the pavilion were there for the enjoyment of many happy frolicking kids. The Gaga Pit was open and had a ball waiting to be played with right inside. Also the skate park was filled with bikes, scooters, and kids just sliding around off the ramps on their bottoms.
After all these activities, families and friends started to work up an appetite and soon all of the many picnic tables were filled with happy food truck customers. For all the Colchester events there are usually the same food trucks. It was no different for this event. Although all these food trucks serve delicious food, everybody in this town would probably like a little bit of change in this regularity. The food trucks included a falafel truck, Munchies Food Truck (which had superb 1lbs bags of sea salt french fries), an organic/farm fresh truck, a bbq truck, Colchester Lions Club had two trucks selling food, a greek food truck, and many more. There were also two stands in front of all the food trucks that sold 1$ beverages. Plus this year, as something new, there was a lemonade truck.
If that wonderful meal did not fill you up, then dessert trucks were there to enjoy as well. There was a soft serve ice cream truck, a Ben and Jerry’s Truck, and a cupcake truck. All of this food was well received and greatly enjoyed.
The band that played on the big stage in the back of the park this year was called the Wooden Horse. This band played wonderful music, and it was really fun to listen and dance to their covers and originals. The band played right up until the fireworks started at around 8:00.
The fireworks were probably the best that the 57 fest has ever put on. They had the perfect amount and wonderfully spaced out normal fireworks, intense fireworks, and really unique fireworks that made you gasp and scream at your friends to, “Look!”. The fireworks were a half an hour of fun. The greatest part of the 57 fest wrapped up at around 8:30, and everyone packed up to leave. This concluded our town festivities until our next big event, Pumpkins and Pooches. The 13th annual 57 Fest was absolutely wonderful and a good time was had by all.
