by Phil Thibault
There are defining events in every community across Massachusetts and in the Merrimack Valley. Lawrence has the Feast of the Three Saints, and Lowell has the Lowell Folk Festival. Each draws a crowd of revelers and pulls the community closer together. The Town of Dracut’s signature event is Old Home Day. Although not started long ago, its short history and impact on the community is nearly immeasurable.
The inaugural event was on September 15 and 16, 2001. If that year evokes a memory, it is the year of the Terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. Dracut’s connection to the tragic events were deep. The pilot of American Airline Flight 11 was Dracut’s own son and gentleman farmer Captain John Ogonowski. The town was devastated and shocked. Little was known of the event other than we lost John and many other citizens of Dracut and the surrounding communities. The world seemed to stop and how would it continue.
The Dracut Old Home Day Committee wrestled with those very thoughts. Their inaugural event that took a year of planning was only a few days away. There were thoughts of cancelling, considering the somber mood. Others felt it to be a tribute to John’s memory. It would be forevermore a remembrance of the event and a celebration of life and community. I for one am grateful for the choice made.
Old Home Day had a committee that was dedicated to the community. Ken and Sandi Cunha, Dave Paquin were the front people. Dave Paquin is still active to this day. The event was shortened to a single day rather than the two-day extravaganza. The resources and coordination needed to host as a two-day event where a logistical dilemma. The initial set up the night before for booths, tents, and vendors, all patrolled the entire night by the Dracut Police Department. Even as a single day event, Dracut Old Home Day caters to over fifteen thousand guests.
In the past few years, a new generation has stepped forward to continue the original work started. Lyndie Shaw and Dan Croce have taken over for Ken and Sandi. Lyndie has been coordinating the 5K Road Race for years and she handles the logistics like nobody else. Her business at ML Shaw is a good training ground for multi-tasking. Dan has been involved in numerous organizations including the Centralville Sportsman’s Club in Dracut. He also has an aptitude for the work of organizing and managing such a seemingly chaotic event. The new crew still has the original goals of community and giving back.
The Old Home Day Committee has returned funds to various organizations and departments over the years at a level that would astound those not familiar with the generosity of Dracut. Last year, the Dracut Fire Department was the recipient of approximately $5,000.00 to purchase equipment for aquatic search and rescue: waterproof radios, throw lines and helmets, and flotation devices. The committee has raised over $500,000.00 since the first event in 2001.
The Dracut Firefighters also run programs for kids and provide information to the community to safeguard the family. Dracut Access Television, the local cable access provider, rolls out their state-of-the-art production van to capture the festivities and broadcast live. There are food vendors from the town and surrounding communities with all sorts of ethnic flavors, each a delicacy. Booths displaying wares and services of the likes seldom seen, row upon row. The antique cars and farm equipment will evoke memories in the old and stir interest in the young. Shaw Farm has also provided a hayride in the past and will do the same again this year. There will be a midway for the amusement of children as well as games for the adults. I’m not sure who is volunteering for the dunk tank this year. I would suggest politicians if willing.
The event will be held on September 9th, 2023, at the Englesby Elementary School, 1580 Lakeview Avenue, Dracut MA. The event starts with a 9/11 Ceremony at 9:00am and will run until 5:00 pm. Rain or shine, but then again, it’s always sunny in Dracut. There is truly no place like home.
