Without You ... Thanks!

With the month of September coming to a close, life is beginning to return to normal for the many who made the Reading Fall Street Faire possible. It takes a lot of work and coordination to bring this event to life, and it wouldn’t happen without the efforts of many people.

First, thank you to PureFit, owned and operated by Catarina and Jason Cipriani. PureFit took the baton from Reading Police Officer Justin Martel in sponsoring and organizing the morning’s 5K. The race had a record number of runners and was enjoyed by all who participated. Thank you also to the many volunteers who lined the race route, or provided physical or massage therapy.

Thank you to the City of Boston Improvement District, Mike Testa in particular, who donated the use of the stage on Haven Street. This was coordinated with the help of George Rio, Reading EDC. Thank you also to Pamplemousse for their generous sponsorship of the stage. The Main Street stage was borrowed from the Reading Memorial High School and we are grateful for the opportunity to now have two very professional and safe venues for the various entertainment acts to perform at during the day. While we are at it, thank you to all the performers who displayed their talents throughout the day. Thank you also to Darin Maquire, Ken Polk at Alpha Omega Music Studios, and Mike Walsh who managed the sound systems at the various venues. Thank you also to the Reading Knights of Columbus and Reading Co-operative Bank who opened their properties for the use of the Faire.

The Children’s area, newly relocated this year to Sanborn Street, most definitely requires the largest contingent of volunteers. In addition to many student volunteers, Reading residents that step-up and assist, year after year, included Corinne and Rich Dunster, Robert and Samantha Eaton, Eric Holden, Kate Kaminer, Agnes Mottola and Nancy Stortz. Thank you also to Richie Selig, Reading Co-operative Bank, who came and got the Children’s game area up and running with electricity. Thank you also to Reading Montessori School and Representative James Dwyer and Family for their continued support of this segment of the Faire.
The morning presents many challenges, likely before many others are even out of bed. Thank you to Reading Shirt and Trophy for their donation of the shirts that helped to identify various volunteers. Thank you to the many residents that came out to assist in marking out the vendor booths. These included Peter Leahy, Mark and Mary Ellen Mauriello, Linda, Caroline and Tricia Snell. Thank you to John Meyer and Cub Scout Troop 702 who set up the tents rented by vendors and who then returned at the end of the day to break them all down and return them to storage. Instrumental to the day are the many employees who work for the Town of Reading. They included Darlene Foley, Maureen Knight, George Strazzere and all of the members of the DPW, Jenna Fiorente, Richard Robbins, and Mike Debregard, who despite his retirement, was present all day long and the many days leading up to Faire day.

Thank you to the many businesses, vendors, and organizations who arrive early and set up their booths. We welcomed more booths this year than any before. Despite great efforts, we want to thank the unsung heroes who have been omitted from this note, and we know there are some out there. Lastly, thank you to the people who begin working on the Faire in October and meet through-out the summer so that the details are all addressed. The Committee includes Steve Goldy, Chair, Leslie Leahy of the Hitching Post, Denise Benard of Salon Muffie, Alison Ulman, and Sheila Mulroy. Additional volunteer members included Denise Eaton, Bob and Patti Beckman, Kristin Bonazoli and Brian Snell of the Law Office of Brian C. Snell. Finally, a big thank you to John Feudo, Recreation Director. John brings his talents as an effective organizer and team player, as well as a host of others, to the committee. These people will start meeting before the end of October to discuss the 2015 Reading Fall Street Faire. We would like to welcome any other Reading residents or businesses to help out. Watch for our next meeting notice.