Festival will be back for the next two years
The Dickens Festival, Medford’s longstanding tradition that heralds in the holiday season each year, will be continued for at least the next two years, according to the event’s organizer, the Medford Sunrise Rotary Club.
“This is such a wonderful occasion for Medford,” said Medford Sunrise Rotary President Jim Robinson. “It brings together thousands of people, and old, and creates a real sense of community in the town. From Santa and Mrs. Claus to stilt walkers to carolers and ice carvers, it is an event where the whole family comes together with their friends and neighbors each year.”
After the previous organizer had ceased operations, Medford Sunrise Rotary stepped in six years ago and agreed to take the event over. However, the enormous task of planning every detail, and raising the thousands of dollars needed to stage it had put a strain on the 18-member Rotary Club. After a herculean effort by the entire club this past year, some negative comments on a local social media site led some to suggest that Rotary’s efforts could be better used in other areas of service.
“We have enjoyed tremendous encouragement from Medford Township,” said 2017 Dickens Festival Chair David C. Forward. “As we move forward, we will be making some changes as a result of the suggestions made by both the community and township leaders. We will be locating food vendors away from the core shopping area and will seek more craft vendors this year. Our goal is to return the Dickens Festival to the way it once was, with singers throughout the village, and a contest for those who stroll the streets in Dickensian costumes.”
Robinson and Forward encouraged members of the community to contact them if they would like to serve on one of the Dickens Festival committees.
“This is a three-legged stool,” Robinson added. “We want to improve the event every year, and we can only do that with participation and ideas from Rotary, the Township and the community at large.”
A Go Fund Me account has been established for community citizens to contribute to the cost of staging the 2017 Dickens Festival. Rotary is the world’s premier community service organization with 1.2 million members in 180 countries. Medford Sunrise Rotary welcomes potential members to its meetings each Wednesday at 7:15 a.m. at the Pop Shop in Medford.
