FalconFest Aims To Rekindle Danvers Community Spirit
DANVERS, MA — There were times — not all that long ago — when Danvers residents used to come together in town for fun and festivals each year and fireworks that drew visitors from all over the North Shore.
As some of those community events have dwindled through the years, a group of volunteers has joined together in hopes of bringing some of those townwide activities back in different forms.
The Danvers FalconFest Committee last summer formed a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization designed to develop and promote fun, year-round programs that are open to all residents.
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“We want them to be family-friendly events that bring back and enhance the beloved favorites of Danvers,” FalconFest Vice President Amy Ciancarelli told Patch this week. “There are people who are tired of having to go to other North Shore towns to enjoy food truck festivals and fireworks, and downtown trick-or-treating. We are going to be bringing back some of those favorites.
“We are pretty grassroots right now but I am pretty happy with our progress.”
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Last year, Danvers FalconFest sponsored a booth at the Danvers Holiday Festival and organized the holiday lights tour Light Up Danvers as a fundraiser. On March 23, the group will host a fundraiser at Giggles Comedy Club in Saugus aimed at supporting the upcoming Downtown Danvers Rewind planned for June 27.
Ciancarelli said Danvers Rewind is envisioned as a Maple Street block party that includes music that will “span the decades” from the 1950s to songs of today, and will include live bands, high school musical performances, performances from local dancing schools, food and outdoor games.
Other events that FalconFest hopes to sponsor this year are an ice cream Scooper Bowl, the downtown trick-or-treating, and in 2024 a winter bonfire and spring fling family day.
“Our passion is to bring people of Danvers together,” Ciancarelli said. “We haven’t had a lot of those festivals since before 2020. COVID, I don’t think helped.
“It will take some time and partnerships, but our goal is to plan some smaller-scale fireworks as well for Danvers residents. That one might take a year or two but that is the end goal because we realize how much fun and community spirit comes with that type of event.”
She allowed that “Danvers in the news of late has been always equated with positive things” and is hoping the FalconFest events will “bring back that pride and community spirit.”
“We are very conscious of that and want to be sure to include residents of all backgrounds in our programs because we all have rich lived experiences that we want to people to share and appreciate.”
Danvers FalconFest relies solely on monetary donations from members of the community. Individual donations and corporate sponsorships are accepted and available.
Ciancarelli said that those wishing to make a donation, find out more about FalconFest, or are looking for a way to get involved with a particular event, can go to the new website the organization launched here.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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