After last year’s event was canceled due to COVID-19, the Hamden Fest returned to Town Center Park this past Saturday. The mix of sunny weather and fan-favorite food trucks was the perfect combination for the day-long event.
Various members of the community all came together at the fairgrounds located off of Dixwell Avenue for a day full of entertainment. The event featured musicians, dancers, police officers, and volunteers from Hamden-based small businesses.
One of the busier tables during the day was the Hamden Partnership for Young Children, a local organization that assists families with children to learn more about child development.
“It’s the first thing we’ve done since COVID and it just seems like people are more wanting to talk about their kids and interested in what’s out there,” said Tricia Godfrey, one of the employees present at the fairgrounds. “We’re filling up our sign-in sheets, and it’s been great!”
The day started early with registration for the Road Races opening at 7 a.m. and the races, a 10K and 5K, kicking off at 8:30 a.m. Following a half-mile Fun-Run, awards for the road races were handed out and the fair was officially underway.
Under the canopy tents, local businesses and organizations bunched up and prepared their tables to talk to Hamden residents. Some business attendees were Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Hamden Police Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships (SPCP), CFC Arena, CT Dental Health.
The Hamden Police SPCP held the most popular booth out on the grass, hosting a “Dunk-A-Cop” where officers volunteered to sit in the dunk tank, in return for donations to the SCPC. Jeremy Brewer, a 15 year veteran of the Hamden Police, was one of those who took a seat above the shallow water.
It’s wonderful. You know, not a lot of other towns that I have moved to have as much as this stuff. It’s a good community that always comes out for each other.
Brewer on his love for the community gathering
Even though this event has more success than most in Hamden, there is one particular area that Brewer thinks this event can improve on for next year.
“I think what we could always do is try to get the message out there,” Brewer said. “We do use social media as much as we can, but once the pandemic is behind us, I think more people will come out.”
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic being a possible factor for a lower turnout, Brewer still noticed residents that were able to attend with masks.
“The one good thing I can say is there are a lot of people here with masks that are comfortable being out here with a mask,” Brewer said. “You’ll see this girl behind you is not old enough to get the vaccine, so her parents have her masked up.”
What separates the Hamden Festival from others is that its audience is not for one particular age group.
“You’re attracting all kinds of people. So sometimes when we’re at things that are just for kids, parents are coming to have their kids do something,” Godfrey said. “We haven’t had a break the whole time so what’s been great.”
Leanne Coppola, director of admissions at the Hamden Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, delivered the same message as Godfrey. She sees the value in the event because it has something for all ages.
“It brings people together because everyone comes to one place and starts talking to each other,” Coppola said.
Her intention for being there was to make people familiar with what services the rehabilitation center offers, such as long-term care and short-term rehab. Their main concern is focusing on how to improve the resident’s physical and emotional health.
Until the event ended at 4 p.m., the sun was shining and the families continued to pile in and enjoy food trucks, concerts, dance performances, and inflatable games in the grass.