Live music, balloons, games, and a crowd will soon fill four blocks along Harvard Street in Brookline Village at the second annual Brookline Village Fair on Sunday, June 12, from noon to 4PM. This is a collaborative effort of local business leaders and the Brookline Planning Department.
Organizers of the event believed last year’s Village Fair was such a success that it was only right to do it again this year. More that 2,000 people attended last year, and this year organizers expect more. With new features and many local collaborations, this Sunday is sure to be a fun day.
“The fair came about to show off the Village’s atmosphere,” said Ben Kelley, Director of the Boston School of Boabom and one of the fair’s organizers. “It will bring people together to really showcase how great Brookline Village [is] to Brookline residents and people outside of Brookline. The Village has a variety of services for anyone to organize their errands and leisure time in one place. For instance, one could find a place to meditate, and then get groceries before swinging by the post office just down the street. The village has a really great mix of businesses and many of them [are] small and local. Personally for me, that’s ideal for a kind of commercial district.”
It takes a lot of fundraising to get the Village Fair off the ground. The planning committee looked to have businesses give small to medium contributions, instead of having one business fund the whole fair.
“We tried to do it really through small contributions,” Kelley said, “It’s put on by the community and it’s funded by the community and that’s really important to us.”
It took months for the planning team to put the event together. Aside from taking time from their day jobs and families, committee members started planning and fundraising back in the fall of 2015.
“With a good group of people, with time, and with energy, we accomplished a lot,” Kelley said.
In addition to Kelley, the planning committee consisted of Andy Martineau of the Town of Brookline Planning Department, Alex Barrett and Seth Barrett of Village Green Renewal, Amy Solomon of Art with Amy, Audra Keefe of Organe Bike Design, and Chobee Hoy of Chobee Hoy Associates Real Estates.
Chobee Hoy felt that last year’s fair was such a success that she’s excited to see the turn out this Sunday with hopefully some sun beaming on the fun.
“The day was perfect last year,” Hoy said. “Lots and lots of families came last year, and lots of little kids.”
Hoy said lines were deep with about 60 kids for face painting, balloon art, and games last year. With new features, like a second stage for more entertainment such as poetry performances and a road race, the fair aims to get better every year in the future.
The Village Fair Road Mile is a new feature this year, which is organized by the Brookline Extended Day Advisory Council and the Town of Brookline.
“I think the road race will make it even more fun,” Hoy said.
The one-mile race will start at 2 p.m. at Linden Park and will raise funds for after-school programming for Brookline’s low income and at-risk elementary children. All are welcome to participate.
The planning committee hopes that there will be many more Brookline Village Fairs to come.
“This is a real community event,” Hoy said. “I hope it becomes a successful tradition.”
Kelley also agrees. “We hope that it will continue and that it will be better every year,” he said.