Canton Citizen recalls top stories of 2022
By Jay Turner
The Lexington Minutemen fire their muskets during the inaugural Canton Heritage Festival at the Paul Revere Heritage Site.
The following is an excerpt from the Canton Citizen’s 2022 year in review. Check out the Jan. 5 print edition for other top news stories from the past year, as well as notable departures, athletes/teams of the year, and more.
Live & in person: Return to public gatherings
After two years of pandemic-induced isolation and social distancing, Canton residents and businesses heartily embraced a return to normalcy in 2022 as COVID-19 finally began to fade into the background.
By the springtime, large-scale — and largely mask-free — public events that had seemed inconceivable just months earlier once again became commonplace, and new traditions were forged, highlighted by a first-of-its kind, town-wide cleanup event in late April that drew hundreds of eager volunteers and was hailed as a smashing success with more than two-and-a-half tons of trash and debris hauled away within a span of hours.
Just a few weeks later, several hundred more gathered on the new town common at the Paul Revere Heritage Site to celebrate Canton’s inaugural Heritage Festival, a free event that featured a variety of live performances and family-friendly activities as well as food trucks, vendor booths, community displays, and a special exhibit — “Canton in Wartime” — created in partnership with the Canton Historical Society.
Billed as a “celebration of the region’s past and living present,” the Heritage Fest was one of several public events to be held at the Revere site throughout the year as residents also returned in large numbers to witness the swearing in of Canton’s first female police chief; to commemorate African American heritage and the emancipation of enslaved peoples on Juneteenth; and to enjoy a fall family movie night sponsored by the Canton Parks and Recreation Department.
Other local venues also came alive this year, including the Trinity Episcopal Church grounds, which welcomed throngs of people in July for the first ever Canton Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival, a one-day event hosted by Canton-based Food Truck Festivals of America.
In addition to the many new offerings, the past year also saw the return of several traditional favorites, including the Memorial Day Parade and remembrance ceremony; the annual fireworks display and July 4th Road Race — newly renamed in memory of founder and longtime race starter Joe DeFelice; the annual Halloween Parade and ‘Trunk or Treat’ event, which drew more than 1,000 visitors of all ages; and the popular Winterlights display at the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate.
Countless school events, many of which had been scaled back or canceled altogether, also made their return, while the weekly Canton Farmers Market celebrated a very successful second season in front of the Rodman building, highlighted by events such as Back to School Day, Youth Entrepreneurs Day, and a season-ending Fall Fest that drew hundreds of enthusiastic patrons.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=100245
Posted by Jay Turner
on Jan 6 2023. Filed under Features.
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