Summer Fest to be held in memory of Wilton man

JAY — The first Hollandstrong Summer Fest will be held Saturday, Aug. 11, beginning with a 5k run/walk at 8 a.m. at Spruce Mountain high and middle schools.

The festival is being held in memory of Michael Holland, 25, of Wilton, one of 33 crew members who died aboard the SS El Faro, a cargo ship that sank in the Bahamas on Oct. 1, 2015, during Hurricane Joaquin.

All proceeds will go toward improving the athletic fields at Spruce Mountain High School. One of the immediate goals of the Hollandstrong Community Foundation is to build, in phases, a sports complex at the school, which abuts the middle school.

Holland was a 2008 graduate of Jay High School, which became known as Spruce Mountain High School when Jay and RSU 36 in Livermore and Livermore Falls consolidated in July 2011. Holland was also a 2012 graduate of Maine Maritime Academy.

His mother, Deb Roberts of Wilton, her husband, Robin Roberts, and other family members and friends have been working hard to keep Holland’s memory alive.

The foundation is one way the family gives back to the communities that supported them during their loss. It seeks to provide resources to the communities of RSU 9 in the Farmington area, SAD 52 in the Turner area and RSU 73 in the Jay area, “to foster youth and give them opportunities for growth in several areas including but not limited to academics and sports,” according to its mission statement.

Activities will include:

• 9 a.m.: Cornhole tournament.

• 9 a.m. to noon: Children’s activities.

• Noon: Horseshoe tournament, Texas barbecue with Longhorn Legend BBQ.

• 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Musical entertainment.

There will be a raffle, craft and vendor tables and food vendors throughout the day.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net