WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington Fourth of July Committee Chair Patrick Giroux was recently in front of the Select Board, seeking requests for the 2023 Tree Lighting, 2024 Fall Fest, and 2024 Tree Lighting. Of note, Giroux revealed his Committee is intending on rebranding and expanding the 2024 Tree Lighting into an even larger community event.
2023 Tree Lighting Details
The 2023 Town Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place on Saturday, December 2, 2023, from 4pm to 7pm, with no rain date, in the Town Common area.
“This year’s event will look pretty similar to previous years’ tree lightings,” explained Giroux.
Activities will include:
- Horse-drawn hayrides
- Complimentary Cookies (baked by Shawsheen Tech Culinary Arts students) and hot chocolate served by WHS Cheerleaders
- Glow sticks for children
- Ice sculpture sponsored by the Wilmington Tewksbury Chamber of Commerce and some of its member companies
- Wilmington Minutemen with lanterns will escort Santa Claus
- Wilmington High School a cappella group, “Soundscape” leading Christmas Carols
- Wilmington Community Fund annual Wilmington-themed ornament sales inside the Fourth of July Building
- Members of the Wilmington Firefighters collecting unwrapped toys and donations for Wilmington children in 4th of July Building
- Clergy from parishes throughout the town presenting the story of Christmas
- Santa will arrive promptly at 5:45PM to lead the countdown.
- Photos with Santa in the Fourth of July Building (more details to come)
The Select Board unanimously approved Giroux’s request to use the Town Common for the 2023 Tree Lighting, 5-0.
2024 Fall Fest Details
The 2024 Fall Fest will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from 7am to 4pm, with a rain date of Saturday, October 5, 2024, likely in the Town Common area.
“The 2023 Fall Fest was an overwhelming success. Several thousand residents and friends came together for a nice fall-themed afternoon,” Giroux told the Board. “Next year, we’re hoping to do the same exact thing…. but will start earlier. [The 2024 event] will be designed with a similar layout for activities, however, we’re looking to have a 5K Road Race.”
Activities will include:
- Food truck and vendor market
- Community meals & craft classes
- Family activity tent & inflatable park
- Trackless train
- Children’s Costume Parade
- Petting Zoo
- Touch-A-Truck
- Bocce & Cornhole Tournament
- All-Day Live Music
“Of course we understand the Town Hall/School Administration Building will be in full-blown construction mode at this time next year,” Giroux told the Select Board. “The bulk of the activities will be on the Town Common. Depending on the municipal parking lot availability, we will have some light programming in there. At the purview of safety officials, depending on what the construction activity is. 80% of the event will be designed on the Common, with some of the ancillaries belonging on the Town Municipal parking lot.”
While the Select Board was supportive of the Fourth of July Committee’s efforts, members weren’t ready to approve the location of the event. The Board did, however, approve the date, and will revisit the location once the safety realities of the construction site are better known.
“I may look like Santa Claus, but I’m coming to you as the Grinch tonight,” said Selectman Kevin Caira. “At this point and time, I’m not going to be able to support either 2024 event. The reason is because they’re breaking ground in March 2024 over there. I know you mentioned 80% will be at Town Common, but I’d like to hear from the OPM, the General Contractor, the Chairman of the Building Committee. I’d like to see some more detail rather than just telling us 80% here and 20% there. I’m a little nervous with construction going on there at this time. There’s going to be a lot of equipment.”
“I just want to make sure people are going to be safe,” continued Caira. “We’ve already started telling local groups – cheerleaders, Pop Warner – that you can’t have your car wash there anymore because of construction vehicles and fencing. It’s hard for me to approve such an event that holds 6,000 people, but not approve a car wash that has 20 cars coming through. I think I need a little more information. I would be OK if you wanted to secure the dates, but I’m a little leery about approving the activity at this time at this location.”
Caira suggested Yentile Farm, connected with the 5 acres at the old Textron site that Wilmington will begin leasing on January 1 — as a safer location.
“I’m taking a cautious, conservative approach,” Caira concluded. “I don’t want anyone to get injured over there until I found what the the construction site is going to look like.”
“There’s not a single event that our committee conducts that we don’t have several meetings in advance with town administration and public safety officials,” responded Giroux. “We are fully ware that every event we conduct next year will have a different look and feel because of the construction. All of these events can be done without the use of the municipal parking lot.”
“If you’d like to approve the dates so we can start planning, I’d appreciate that,” Giroux added. “If [town administration and public safety officials] deem the area not safe, we’ll come up with a Plan B. … The Committee has been planning events for 43 years. We have a great reputation with the town. We’ll evaluate the construction activity next year and if we need to make adjustments, we’ll make adjustments.”
“I think the Fall Fest is outstanding,” said Selectman Greg Bendel. “It was very well run. Very affordable. Great community event. I heard 6,000 people attended. I hope we can have a nice safe community event in the future.”
“Patrick, you’ve brought fresh life into the Fourth of July Committee’s town activities, such as Fall Fest,” said Selectman Frank West. “Great job, great event. Thank you for all you and your members do.”
The Select Board voted 5-0 to approve the date of the 2024 Fall Fest, but declined to approve the location for the time being until the realities surrounding the construction activity of the new Town Hall/School Administration Building are better known.
2024 Tree Lighting Details
The 2024 Town Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place on Saturday, December 7, 2024, from noon to 8pm, likely in the Town Common area.
“[The Fourth of July Committee] is doing a complete redesign of the event for 2024,” said Giroux. “It’s going to take about 14 months to design and plan. We have a rough sketch of what it’s going to look like. My goal is to get as many events events approved in advance as possible. It takes many months, if not a year, to plan some of the things we do.”
The re-branded event will have a similar feel as the current tree lighting, and will include a mix of new and familiar activities:
- Food Trucks
- Holiday Vendor Market on Town Common, featuring Community and Civic Groups Participating
- Wreath Classes inside Fourth of July Building
- Reindeer Petting Zoo
- Characters & Family Activity Tent
- Horse-Drawn Sleigh Rides
- Readings from Wilmington’s Council of Churches
- Performances from Local School & Musical Groups
- Chamber of Commerce Ice Sculpture
- Visit & Photos with Santa
- Countdown to the Lights
Similar to the Fall Fest, the Select Board voted 5-0 to approve the date, but wanted to wait until construction activity for the Town Hall/School Administration Building begins before approving the event’s location at the Town Common.
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