ANDOVER — Eric Olson may not know what color of the rainbow he will wear for Rainbow Day just yet, but said he knows his daughter, Sidney, would have had her outfit picked out already.
Sidney’s Rainbow Day returns Labor Day weekend to promote traffic safety and healthy lifestyles for kids while celebrating the life of Sidney Olson, a 5 year old who was tragically killed in 2023.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 30 in downtown Andover. This year’s Sidney’s Rainbow Day aims to promote street safety advocacy and fundraising for an Andover bike park. The event attracted more than 1,500 people in 2024. It was organized by Olson and his wife Mary Beth Ellis, the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund and the newly formed Families for Safe Streets Massachusetts, a statewide alliance for those who have lost loved ones to traffic violence.
Rainbow Day’s theme is anchored in giving children “the freedom to move,” said Eric Olson, the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund cofounder and safety street advocate. Olson and his wife Ellis founded the Rainbow Fund, and Rainbow Day, in honor of their daughter Sidney Olson who died a short distance from their home two years ago.
The day will begin with a simple task that Sidney Olson was unable to complete.
In May 2023, she was fatally struck by a tractor trailer in an Elm Square crosswalk on her way to art class with her family. Sidney’s walk was only about a quarter-mile from her house.
“Finish Sid’s Walk,” a memorial walk, kicks off Rainbow Day in her honor at 10 a.m. at Elm Square.
“We are going to finish her walk,” Eric Olson said. “It’s her birthday weekend and she wasn’t able to finish it so we are hoping to get a bunch of people out there. And it won’t be your typical walk.”
A New Orleans Second Line Parade will lead walking and rolling people through Elm Square for a colorful and music-filled stroll to The Park.
“We want people to come, whether they are walking, rolling or riding and show support for the changes that allow kids to live more mobile, happy lives,” he said.
Carnations will be available for people to pick up and drop off at the site of her death as they pass by. Eric Olson said he hopes hundreds show up in rainbow colors and make a lot of cheerful noise led by the band.
The parade is aimed to reflect Sidney’s colorful personality and her love of life, he said.
He added how his daughter would have already had a bright outfit planned for the occasion, and likely would have wanted to be in charge of what songs the band plays.
“It’s everything that she is,” Eric Olson said about the forthcoming parade and day. “She wanted to celebrate life. She lived a very colorful music-filled, laugh-filled existence. We want to represent that in what we do.”
It’s also important for people to see the improvements happening throughout Andover to address traffic safety for all users, he said.
“This is long and hard work, but it’s also a mindset to create safer routes throughout town,” Eric Olson said. “Part of this is for people to see we are making progress for safer vehicles and roads and it’s creating a stronger community.”
The day will feature live music and arts and crafts among other activities. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will be on hand for a safety-themed Touch-a-Truck. The Rainbow Fund also partnered with the town on a bike rodeo to give away some bicycles and teach children safe habits.
The event blends family fun with programming aimed to improve road safety for kids, while fundraising for a bike park in Andover.
“It’s a party with a purpose,” Eric Olson said. “It is exposing people to different opportunities for how they may engage to make our community a safer and more active place.”
While the event is free, there are ways to donate to the Rainbow Fund and its efforts to build a bike park in town.
Many of the food vendors and downtown businesses are either donating a portion of their sales to the cause or have gifted items for a raffle taking place on Rainbow Day. Donations are also accepted on the Rainbow Fund’s website, Eric Olson.
“For Sid, nothing would be more important than all of the people in our community coming together to celebrate,” he said. “At the core of this, giving kids the freedom to move ultimately creates healthier communities, and that was Sid’s spirit.”