Summer Fest will be held Saturday, July 27. Last year, Debra Crocker of Farmington showed off the T-shirt she purchased at the 2023 Summer Fest in Farmington. Livermore Falls Advertiser

FARMINGTON – The town is revving up for the 59th annual Summer Fest, taking place on Saturday, July 27, this year. There is a lot to look forward to this year, with new and returning vendors and activities. Broadway will be closed to traffic to make space for artists, crafters, and non-profit booths to line the street.

The Amazing Summer Fest Race returns from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with cash prizes for best times, costumes, and most team spirit. Teams of two are sent to complete challenges around Downtown Farmington in this test of speed and brains. Teams can sign up on Broadway before the race starts or they can pre-register by contacting Joe Musumeci at escape@farmingtonunderground.com.

The Children’s Parade will take place at 11 a.m. beginning at the Franklin County Children’s Task Force building. Line up begins at 10:45 a.m. This year’s theme is “farmland friends.”

Farmington’s Got Talent is back this year with cash prizes. Community members of all ages are encouraged to bring their best talents to compete against each other on the Entertainment Stage on Broadway beginning at 4 p.m. Participants can sign up by 3:30 p.m. by emailing Susun Terese at susun@minikins.org, calling her at (207)491-5533, or by stopping into Minikins at 218 Broadway in Farmington.

As usual, Meetinghouse Park will be bustling with activities as well. Sue Jones has organized game booths, petting zoo, and more. And of course, festival goers can look forward to music performed by visiting artists all day long. This year, the Bank Mules with Andy Buckland and the Crawdads with Mike Burd and friends are the newest additions to the Summer Fest lineup.

The food court was a big hit last year, leading food trucks to sell out of food. They will all be returning again this year, hopefully prepared for even bigger crowds.

New this year is Magical Balloon Twisting by Markus and Angelique Steelgrave which will take place in Meetinghouse Park.

Summer Fest attendees can escape the summer heat in the Cool Zone where shade is provided and cool mist and fans can be enjoyed.

Terese has been organizing Summer Fest since 2015 when she first volunteered with the Farmington Downtown Association. She said that it takes “tremendous support from our local businesses to make this happen.”