Founder's Day begins with dances, a pancake breakfast, and a huge parade through Downtown Foxboro. The activities move to Booth Playground, where sports teams, schools, and most of our community and fraternal organizations (such as the Rotary, Jaycees, Doolittle Home, Council on Aging, Historical Society, etc) each set up booths, tents, and kiosks. There’s games, amazing food, and a lot of fun.
That evening, thousands of people bring blankets and chairs to relax and enjoy our spectacular fireworks display over Booth Playground.
Founders Day Concessions - We sell burgers, dogs, sausages, etc to the masses that swarm the field during the town celebration of Founders Day.
Founders Day Pony Rides - Once again, a huge hit with the younger generation visiting Founders Day.
Founders Day Glow Items - This is where we truly make our money to help support our chapter. We sell glow sticks, "blinkies" and other glow items.
Founders Day Slush - Beat the heat with our refreshing cold slush.
From humble beginnings, Founders Day has grown into wonderful celebration of civic pride and a chance for the community to come together for a day of fun, food and fellowship sandwiched between the pageantry of a parade and an awesome display of fireworks.
This year we are commemerating the 150th anniversary of the of the Foxborough Common. Each Founders Day, we select a new theme for our parade and other activities. The theme for 2007 is: The Foxborough Common. Foxboro-based organizations and businesses are encouraged to build upon this theme as they prepare their entries for the parade. Many will carry the theme over to their field activities.
Every civic and religious organization in town is encouraged to participate in the field festivities and raise funds for their various organizations by selling food, running games and raffles or selling novelties and other products.
Local businesses and individuals are encouraged to support the festivities with cash donations to cover the cost of the parade and fireworks as well as the field activities.
Together, the people and businesses of Foxborough will show the rest of the world why we call Foxborough Home Sweet Home!
The police begin closing roads. The crowds thicken. There's real anticipation in the air. Something special is about to happen.
Founders Day seems to bring everyone out, and there's that wonderful feeling of community -- so present all year anyway -- amplified exponentially on this day.
Friends and families gather. Teens take advantage of the roadblocks by skating freely in the streets around Foxboro Common. Babies cry. Parents take family pictures. Camera and camcorders are everywhere. Kids run around with silly string, spraying each other, laughing.
And then, you hear the fire engine sirens, and another Founders Day parade is under way. The glistening fire engines -- both from here and neighboring towns -- bring cheers and the children waving from inside bring smiles. The police vehicles do the same.
The days of hard work are evident in so many of the floats. The Jaycees' ship float is always impressive. The Chairman is walking next to the float, positively beaming with the other Jaycees.
The kids from the karate school, in full uniform, stride purposely. The kids look so proud.
There's the Van-Go and the Senior Center folks. We are so fortunate to have Council on Aging, with Vicki at the helm.
There's the Doolittle Home van. Another Foxboro gem, a wonderful residence where seniors live in dignity. What a treasure Doolittle Home is.
Here are the town Selectmen. Their presence in the parade is a nice reminder of our town government working so closely with the people.
There are the Veterans in uniform. Can we ever thank them enough for their sacrifice?
Here comes the Civil War society. They fire their weapons and get everyone's attention. Also impressive.
The Burrell School float features a replica of the Superbowl trophy with the words, “Dedication” and “Spirit” and basketball and footballs around the float. The kids are cheering. The Charter School float is great, too -- the cutouts of people, the sun, the clouds -- reminds me of the books we all learn to read with.
The bands are excellent. The American Legion band from Waltham, the local school bands, and the minutemen -- they are all so talented. I've always wanted to play a musical instrument -- it'll be the piano or guitar when I get around to learning -- but I'm amazed by anyone who can play AND march in a parade. What talent!
Here are the trolleys -- two of them this year. Do the kids in Foxboro even realize this was the preferred mode of transportation here years ago?
There are the Girl Scouts. Boy Scouts. Cub Scouts, So much pride coming from those young faces! So much promise and enthusiasm from such little people!
Then, seemingly in a blink, the Founders Day committee car goes by. To all of you on that committee -- thank you, thank you, and thank you for all your hard work.
Soon it seems that at least half of the town's population is on the field. It seems like every organization and club in Foxboro is well represented. It's a well-worn cliché but Founders Day on Booth Fields truly offers something for everyone.
By 4pm, it seems like the activity is winding down; most tents and kiosks are closing up, the business portion of the day concluded. People are now heading home to parties, gatherings, and many are just trying to get the usual Saturday chores complete before the fireworks.
For many, this in-between time is spent packing up, cleaning, putting away, grabbing a quick burger, and then heading back to the field. Passing by the Common, all of the confetti, silly string, papers, food containers and other debris has been cleaned up. You couldn't know a parade had even passed by.
At 8:30, the sky is still light and the grass is rapidly being covered with beach chairs and blankets. The Rotary seems to be doing a swift business; Rotary hamburgers -- always delicious anyway -- taste extra good on Founders Day evening. The Jaycees are doing a brisk business selling the coveted glow sticks and other glow items.
An hour passes as latecomers seek out a remaining patch of grass to call their own. The area is filled with the shadows of bodies and the light from glow sticks.
And then BOOM! The first firework shell explodes overhead, and the people cheer. Once again, the pyrotechnic display is incredible, with the speculator colors exploding overhead and the glowing embers floating down so close to us. Forget Boston on the Esplanade -- Foxboro is the place to see the best fireworks display. That the show was paid for by Foxboro businesses, organizations and local donations makes it all the more sweet. By the way, if you can, be sure to keep the donations coming in to pay for next year's fireworks! The fireworks thermometer on the common, which tracks donations, is only halfway to the top.
Like the parade, in a seeming heartbeat, the show is over, and we join as one, applauding. Once again Foxboro police keep the exodus orderly, as traffic flows smoothly home.
Another Founders Day has come and gone.
To our police and fire fighters and rescue workers -- thank you, once again, for keeping us safe.
To the Founders Day committee -- and to everyone who in any way participated in making the day happen -- thank you.
Founders Day is more than a parade, events, and fireworks. It's uniquely ours. The sense of community that we all feel on this day cannot be denied.
For so many of us, the reason we live here, what we love most about this town — is its sense of family and community. That is never more evident than it is on Founders Day.
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