The 46th annual Hardwick Springfest celebration this year, marked a new collaboration between the Hardwick Kiwanis Club, the Farmers Market, the Hardwick Downtown Partnership, The Civic Standard and American Legion Post #7. The Memorial Day weekend activities were a striking success, with many participating despite a light rain that fell throughout much of both Saturday and Sunday. Monday morning’s Memorial Day observances by the Legion happened under clear skies, warm enough to leave a coat at home, providing a welcome taste of what a spring day in Hardwick can be like.
For many years, organization of the annual Memorial Day weekend event had fallen to the Kiwanis Club, but the many different activities needing to be coordinated had become more than a single organization could be expected to handle. In recent years other organizations had stepped in to assist, but the celebration had seemed to lose a bit of its direction.
This year’s Springfest began with the Hardwick Farmers Market’s Food Truck Friday, where the first section of Atkins Field Parking filled up early and vehicles began to fill the next section. The steady stream of visitors left Market Manager Hayley Wiliams, “impressed with the turnout.” Remarkably, the rain seemed not to discourage market visitors and the food trucks seemed to draw a new crowd with what seemed like “a lot of news faces,” according to Williams. Regular prepared food vendors did roughly the same business as last year, so the food trucks brought new business, said Williams, who added, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Market visitors dressed for the weather and seemed cheerful, she said.
The Civic Standard’s Dance Party that evening, moved from the Atkins Field Pavilion to the Hardwick Town House because of the rainy weather expected on Friday, drew a crowd that filled the building. Dancers took to the flat section of floor from which the seating had been removed and the party continued with the band, Beg, Steal or Borrow until 10 p.m.
Saturday morning greeted parade marchers, floats and vehicles with gray skies, but no rain early as they gathered while vendors, community organizations, musicians and those setting up games prepared for the Downtown Partnership’s block party.
By the 10 a.m.-start of the parade, an on and off light drizzle, with a temperature in the mid-40s, seemed not to dampen anyone’s spirits.
Activities, vendors, a band and food trucks near the North Main Street bridge over the Lamoille River drew quite a crowd from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., when the rain picked up.
The Gazette set up in the new Jeudevine Library addition’s parking lot, along with HCTV and AWARE, where we all had a fine time visiting with those who strolled by and each other. I didn’t have a chance to visit the food trucks in the Jeudevine Mansion parking lot, play volleyball, or join in any of the many other activities, though I was able to watch the Human Truck Pull from afar.
I had been looking forward to touring the library’s new addition, but that was not to be due to final work needed before an occupancy permit could be issued, according to Librarian Diane Grenkow. She said nothing that needs to be done is a big issue and the addition should be able to open for patrons in the near future.
By 2 p.m. Saturday I was ready to pack up and warm myself, which took several hours.
I was fully thawed by Monday morning to join an American Legion Honor Guard and marchers, who started in front of the elementary school, marched down South Main Street, then up North Main Street to the bridge. There a prayer honoring fallen service members was said and a red, white and blue wreath was dropped to fall into the river.
The honor guard continued to the Memorial Park, where poppies were placed near the veterans memorial in remembrance and a ceremony honored the service of those lost in U.S. military service.
Overall, I’d mark the weekend a success, especially considering the weather. I suspect a few years to get the word out to a larger audience, and a picture-perfect weekend, might bring out even more people to join in the festivities.
by Paul Fixx, editor
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
