We did the rounds—along with seemingly everyone else within miles—at Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend attractions on Saturday and the events didn’t disappoint.
If you were looking to climb on vehicles from the scariest looking Department of Public Works and Municipal Light Plant trucks to the loudest fire vehicles and wettest fire hose games, you came to the right places if you hit those open houses.
I overheard one mom, if I interpreted correctly, advising her kid to go into the fire engine manufacturing business after hearing about how much they go for.
DPW Director Dave Cohen termed the DPW open house “a blowout” success.
If you were looking for a little exercise, members of the military were more than happy to run you through their family boot camp, maybe giving you a break on the amount of weight that they typically lug.
And if you were looking for some afternoon sustenance, the Wellesley Police Department had you covered with their usual hot dogs and fixings spread. Oh, and lots of great swag, from stickers to police trading cards. I actually did hear about a crime on my rounds at Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend: A Swellesley reader told me he couldn’t figure out how to donate to support our work (here’s how).
When we saw fire vehicles show up at the police station we figured maybe the officers had turned up the heat too high on the dogs. It turned out to be a routine fire box issue—though suspiciously convenient for firefighters at lunchtime.
Meanwhile, over at the Royal Irish Artillery encampment next door at Morton Park the re-enactors were wrestling with a beast of a turkey on a spit. In hindsight, that might have been a healthier lunch choice if they were sharing.
Others filled up at earlier at the annual pancake festival at the high school, where teens were doing a heck of a job serving up pancakes, waffles, and more. When I asked one family how they heard about the event, they gave the right answer: “The Swellesley Report.”
