Standing under fireworks lighting the sky in Scarborough Saturday night, I looked up and thought, “success!”

It was success on many levels – another SummerFest was behind me, and this year, rain hadn’t poured on us, mosquitoes hadn’t driven us from the field, fog hadn’t blurred the fireworks, and the temperatures had been comfortable all night long.

During the festival, the announcer thanked all the volunteers for their service to various organizations in town, encouraged those who don’t volunteer to consider doing so, and then the lights came on. Vehicles took to the fields to clean up all the wares that only hours earlier different organizations had set up for the evening. Another SummerFest had passed.

Scarborough Community Services began what has become the Summerfest tradition in 1997. Originally held to celebrate the lighting of the sport fields, the event has gained in popularity ever since. Once held in a span of five hours on a Friday night, the event in recent years has grown to a 30-hour celebration.

And what an event it’s become – beginning Friday evening with a road race, and then a street dance into the late evening hours. A community pancake breakfast opened up Saturday’s activities, followed by arts and crafts at Memorial Park, and then the traditional SummerFest activities followed on the sports fields, Saturday evening wrapped up the activities with the ever-popular, spectacular fire works display.

Scarborough is a big community – spread out over 52 square miles with a wide range of age and interests. The general landscape and dynamics would suggest that bringing everyone together for one event each year is challenging.

In today’s busy world, it’s hard to make time for one another, and get together. SummerFest has provided me a venue each year to kill multiple birds with one stone: Chances are good that if I haven’t seen someone all summer, I’ll see them at SummerFest. SummerFest also gives me a chance to glance around at the many great organizations in town, and the faces that represent them. And finally, SummerFest provides a great venue to raise lots of money for an organization I believe in.

There’s always some apprehension leading up to the event – the weather especially is the biggest wild card. Some years are better than others. But if anyone is wondering what goes on in Scarborough, SummerFest can help shed some light – as many interests come together and gather for a variety of reasons. This is community! It’s hard work to pull this off each year. But it is so worth it. Thank you to Scarborough Community Services for organizing and coordinating this event.