FERRISBURGH — This year’s Ferrisburgh Day, which will arrive on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 12, will be doing double duty.
Not only will Ferrisburgh Day give residents of the northwest Addison County town a chance to gather and get to know each other better, it will also serve as the official unveiling of the town’s new $1.05 million, 5,940-square-foot, six-bay highway garage. That building was built next to the former town garage, on Little Chicago Road across from Ferrisburgh Central School.
“It’s a joint thing,” said Ferrisburgh Town Clerk Gloria Warden. “It’s Ferrisburgh Day and an open house for the garage. So it’s a double celebration.”
Town officials and residents jointly revived the former Ferrisburgh Day tradition a few years ago as a way to bring the community together.
“What it’s all about is people coming out and having a place to get out and socialize and meet other Ferrisburghers,” Warden said. “That’s kind of the whole purpose of it.”
This year’s celebration will run from 2 to 6 p.m. that Saturday and include fiddle, ukulele and accordion music, plus other entertainment that organizers were firming up as of early this week; games for all ages, including a corn pool for kids and horseshoes for adults; snacks such as popcorn and milk early on and then burgers and hot dogs later on; a pie baking contest with two categories, fruit and cream; and then, with all that pie on hand, pie and ice cream.
One farmer has promised corn, but the crop was uncertain.
“If the corn comes in, we’ll have roast corn,” Warden said.
The Vergennes Area Rescue Squad and the Ferrisburgh Volunteer Fire Department will be showing off their equipment; and organizers will be offering about 30 donated door prizes, including donated gift certificates; and they will also conduct a 50-50 raffle to help defray expenses.
Those will be minimal, Warden said, because of many generous donations — most of the costs will be for portable toilets.
“The food, the entertainment, it’s all donated,” she said.
For the first hour, snacks and games will be the focus. At 3 p.m., officials will gather to cut the ribbon for the new highway building and then invite all in attendance to gather for a group photo.
Warden said “expert judges” will then decide the pie contest winners, after which Lions Club chefs will fire up the barbecue at about 3:30 p.m.
Residents are also invited to bring potluck dishes to round out the afternoon meal with the 50-50 drawing at 5 p.m.
The event’s organizing committee included Loretta Lawrence, Gail Blasius, Charlie and Deanna Shapiro, Jim Warden, Tim Vincent, Dorothy Muzzy, Laurie Mutini, Ron and Pam Kampner and Karyn McGovern.
They have a backup plan this year if the weather does not cooperate. The new highway facility includes 840 feet of office space and 5,100 feet of wide-open garage to accommodate the gathering, which Warden said would be held rain or shine.
“It’s pretty big,” she said.