Support local shrewsbury charities and community members.
The Beginning
The first festival in 1996 had a serendipitous beginning because it was an unexpected outgrowth of a homecoming idea. The Shrewsbury High School Alumni Association wanted to plan a homecoming weekend. Joyce Perreault, then president of the Alumni Association, sent out thirty letters to a mix of school educators and community leaders to see if they were interested in a homecoming weekend.
Joyce Perreault and Sue Falzoi, along with other alumni officers, brainstormed ideas for a homecoming weekend with other community members. Sue DiLeo, a school counselor, attended that initial meeting as well. Through the process of brainstorming and putting all of the various ideas down on paper, the group realized that they wanted something even grander than the original proposal. Unanticipated at the time, the homecoming idea grew and blossomed into a community fall festival weekend.
1996
Sue DiLeo and Joyce Perreault offered to co-chair the first fall festival, and Sue Falzoi offered to publicize the event. The Alumni Association organized the homecoming piece of the weekend, and the Spirit of Shrewsbury
2000
Organization put down its roots, becoming a non-profit organization through the help of its new members and legal guidance from Chris Mehne in the year 2000.
2018
First Annual Benefit Concert is held.
And Beyond
Each year the festival changes with its own unique flavor, but the remarkable team of volunteers behind the scenes and the folks that come to enjoy it are what make it such a warm and welcoming community event each fall.