A weekend of music, games, entertainment, and volunteerism

The weekend of Friday, June 28th through Sunday, June 30^th, was an exciting weekend for Partners Bank. A handful of employees from our New Hampshire branches spent three days at the Kingston Fire Summer Fest, while some employees from our Maine branches volunteered at the 49th Annual South Berwick Strawberry Festival on Saturday.

Kingston Fire Summer Fest

In lieu of the Kingston Days celebration, which was canceled due to the lack of volunteers, the Kingston Fire Auxiliary decided to put together the Kingston Fire Summer Fest for the town. When news of the Kingston Fire Summer Fest was announced, the folks at the Partners Bank Kingston branch jumped on board as an Entertainment Sponsor and donated $1,000 to the event and donated their time as well.

The 3-day festival included live musicians, vendors, raffles, rides, games, food trucks, and a beer garden. Other activities included a campfire/bonfire, dunk tank, axe throwing, yoga, and a petting zoo. Attendees were also entertained by dirt bike stunts, line dancing, and performances from bands like Rumboat Chili and Bite the Bullet. Partners Bank had a booth with goodies and giveaways for anyone who stopped by.

Shannon LaValley, Partners Bank Kingston Market Manager, said, “The Kingston team wants to give a huge shout out to the Kingston Volunteer Fire Association and Kingston Fire Department for their determination, especially Kelly for helping with our sponsorship and location on Saturday. In addition, we would like to thank the Police, DPW, Select Board and all the Town Employee Volunteers and other businesses and sponsors that made this weekend a success for the community at large. We had a wonderful time and truly enjoy being a part of the Kingston Community.”

Other Partners Bank employees who volunteered were Carly Belcher, Kyle Bache, and Keera Picillo.

49th Annual South Berwick Strawberry Festival

While the New Hampshire team was enjoying their festival, the Maine team had their hands full volunteering for the 49th Annual South Berwick Strawberry Festival on June 29th. The festival featured over 75 artisans, a food court, DJ, dance groups, singing groups, children’s games, and amusement rides.

The South Berwick Strawberry Festival brings in between 20,000 and 25,000 people in one day, with the goal of raising funds for local non-profit organizations. All proceeds from the festival are given back to the surrounding community in the form of grant requests. This year was the highest attendance record they’ve had, and more than $30,000 was raised from the festival!

Partners Bank has been sponsoring the South Berwick Strawberry Festival since 2019. The festival took a two-year break due to the pandemic, but when the festival was up and running again, we’ve been there to support. This year, Partners Bank volunteers sold lemonade, which was generously donated by Aroma Joe’s, and strawberry shortcake/cheesecake. Over $1,000 was raised from lemonade sales, which will be donated to the South Berwick Community Food Pantry. Partners Bank will match the funds from the lemonade sales and contribute to the donation.

Two Partners Bank employees, Beth Leach and Richard Goodenough, are Board members of the South Berwick Strawberry Festival. Between the two of them, they have 14 years of volunteering experience for the festival, exemplifying their dedication to giving back to the community in an exciting and unique way.

Other Partners Bank employees who volunteered at the South Berwick Strawberry Festival were Cathy Buffum, Naomi Chaisty, Emily Frechette, Karen Gellatly, Kathy Horne, Karyn Morin, Holly Spitznas, Amber Tremblay, and Eric Walker.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Kingston Fire Summer Fest and the South Berwick Strawberry Festival. Both festivals helped tighten the bonds in the Maine and New Hampshire communities and created lasting memories for everyone involved.