Longmeddowe Days celebrates Longmeadow’s history

May 22, 2019 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

Maya Stefanik and her friend, Sadie Franceschina, both 8, had their faces painted during the festival.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen.

LONGMEADOW – On May 18 and 19, Longmeadow residents gathered for the 40th annual Longmeddowe Days, a celebration of the town’s long history. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the separation of the towns of Longmeadow and East Longmeadow.

The festivities began bright and early Saturday morning with the 26th annual Tim Paige 5k Memorial Road Race and Walk at 7:30 a.m. and a community parade kicked off at 9:30 a.m. from St. Mary’s Church and stretched down Longmeadow Street to the Town Green.

“We’re about to move, so we just want to enjoy the Longmeadow area,” said Heather Whipple, who attended the parade with her husband and four kids.

Longmeddowe Days is a fundraiser for the Longmeadow Historical Society and proceeds are used to fund educational programs, historical research, and maintenance of the Storrs House Museum. The Historical Society had a tent on the Green where people could learn about the town’s history and buy memorabilia.

The weekend’s activities included viewing a Civil War encampment by the 9th Massachusetts Light Artillery Civil War re-enactors, who shot off the cannon a 1 p.m. and 3 p.m Saturday. There was also presentation about Longmeadow’s Civil War hero, Lt. Howard Burnham.

Some residents took walking tours of the old burial yard or architectural walking tours of homes around the Town Green. People stopped in at the library to shop the Friends of Storrs Library’s Used Book Sale, which ran both days.

There was plenty of entertainment throughout the weekend from musicians and dancers. A miniature train, an inflatable slide, and bounce houses were set up to provide entertainment for children.

On Saturday evening, residents came together for sing-a-longs and hotdogs and hamburgers, provided by Falcetti Music, for a community campfire on the Green.

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