Newburyport welcomes back its Yankee Homecoming
Jun. 4—NEWBURYPORT — Yankee Homecoming, the city's signature annual event, is just around the corner, July 30 to Aug. 7, and with it comes more than a week of fun, excitement, nostalgia and memories.
There are 22 events this year, according to Yankee Homecoming Chairman Paul Bushey, and features two programs not run last year. The first is the return of Family Day after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 concerns. Typically held at Maudslay State Park, the event takes place at Nock Middle School. The day of that event is still pending.
"We're very excited to have that back because it's always a lot of fun for the kids," Bushey said.
A new event, Know Your Community, takes place Thursday, Aug. 4, at the Newburyport Senior Community Center. On that day, 35 to 45 nonprofits, government agencies, for-profit and other groups woven into the city's fabric will be there to greet people and tell them exactly how they contribute to the community.
"Just to let people know what type of supports are out there, so we're really excited about that too," Bushey said.
The two events join classic crowd pleasers such as Olde Fashioned Sunday, the bed race, concerts at Waterfront Park, the waiter/waitress race, a whiz-bang fireworks display, and the closing parade on High Street.
This year's theme, "Brings Out The Best," rings true, according to Bushey, due to several factors but perhaps most striking in how generous people have been. Save for the annual golf tournament and Brewfest, Yankee Homecoming is made possible by the generosity of donations made by local residents and area businesses.
Another example is the perpetual food drive that began roughly two years ago during the height of COVID-19 restrictions. Today, the food drive remains super strong with volunteers picking up a cars-worth of food items from a bin near the Market Basket plaza entrance and delivering them to area food pantries.
"Yankee Homecoming does bring out the best of locals," Bushey said.
This year's Yankee Homecoming, now celebrating its 66th year, is the first since the pandemic hit to benefit from an almost normal amount of prep time. Last year's event, an unbridled success according to many, was assembled in roughly two months due to COVID-19 uncertainties. The year before that Yankee Homecoming was cancelled.
Bushey said organizers started in March as opposed to January due to a rise of COVID-19 cases but those who attend should benefit from the full Yankee Homecoming experience. Part of that assurance comes from the number of volunteers who have signed on to help. There is plenty of room for those still wanting to get involved and those interested should visit Yankee Homecoming's webpage at: yankeehomecoming.com
"Everyone is somewhat excited to get back to a sense of normalcy," Bushey said.
Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
