BEVERLY — From the Traveling Vietnam Wall, LobsterFest, Family Fun Day, Hospital Point Lighthouse tours, the 5K road race, or the scorching temperatures, Beverly Homecoming’s 15 days of fun came to a successful close Sunday night with a 25-minute display of fireworks in Mackerel Cove near Lynch Park.
The 15 days — which included several events sponsored by the Beverly 400+ committee — saw 4,000 to 5,000 people at LobsterFest alone, according to organizers, making the entire two weeks a record crowd to date. And on top of the big crowds were added days and added events.
“It was really incredible that we were able to have over 100 events during the 15 days, and all of them had great attendance,” Homecoming President Medley Long III said. “It’s a testament to the people of Beverly who truly love Beverly. There’s nothing quite like it.
“Beverly Homecoming is really what its name says it is. It’s a time for people to come together, connect, and celebrate our city.
“We had never had a Homecoming (celebration) this long before, and I’m just very pleased with the attendance we had for all the events, including the new ones we added.”
On top of the official opening for the new Mike McPherson Youth Center, another big highlight from the first week was the Traveling Vietnam Wall that was displayed at Beverly High for three days.
“Just having that in Beverly was an incredible thing,” Long said. “I heard a lot of people commented on how moving it was, and overall, it was just warmly received.”
LobsterFest, Homecoming’s signature event, recorded 1,500 transactions, including 929 lobster rolls, 344 lobsters, and 333 hot dogs consumed.
Thursday evening, the annual 5K road race saw 515 people compete in the sweltering heat, and the next day was likely one of the busiest of the celebration, with numerous family events ranging from the carnival, Homecoming Bike Bus and Bicycle Safety Rodeo, to family pictures in the park, capped off by the ice cream social, which brought in over $1,000 in sales.
“That day also featured the Kids Entrepreneur Market, and that was new this year,” Long said. “We had 20 vendors, and it was all children coming and doing a kind of farmers’ market event with their own products that they sell. We had great success with that.”
Saturday featured two big events, the Hospital Point Lighthouse tours and the Beverly 400+ Garden Party.
“This is the only time of the year that the Coast Guard opens the Lighthouse, and there was a steady crowd of people throughout the entire day,” Long said. “The Garden Party was another wonderful event.
Homecoming concluded Sunday night with fireworks.
From start to finish, Long said the positive feedback from the community never stopped.
“I received so many emails from people thanking us or telling us how much fun they had,” he said. “For me, it’s all worth it when I walk through Lynch Park, and I get to see the different generations of people and families coming back here year after year and having so much fun together.”
Long made sure to give credit to the Beverly Homecoming board of directors for pulling it off: Anne Vallette (secretary), Maureen Emo (treasurer), Robin Foster, Julia Lyons, Arthur Thompson, Tara Zraunig, as well as Olivia Manning, who handled the social media sites, and Bruce Doing and Jon Paddol, who are board members as well as the leaders of the Beverly Recreation Department.
“Every single board member has some kind of role, and they all do it, and we can’t thank them enough,” Long said. “Now we take ourselves out to dinner as part of the celebration, and we’re all looking forward to that.
“We also need to thank the Beverly Recreation Department, with Bruce and Jon. While we are not funded by the city and we are a nonprofit organization, without their department and all the Rangers at Lynch Park, 90% of what happens during Homecoming week would not be possible without their help and support.”
It’s expected that next year, Homecoming will go back to the usual five days.
Until then, Long and his staff will remain busy with several events planned for Beverly 400+, including the 25th anniversary memorial ceremony on Sept. 11, Beverly Harborfest Sept. 13, and then the two-day Authentic Hale Farm Muster & Historic Battle of the Hannah and Nautilus Reenactment on the water, scheduled Oct. 10-11.