VERNON — Every town has its own way of welcoming summer.
Vernon celebrated the return of sun and fun on Saturday with the annual town picnic, complete with a parade, barbeque, and fireworks.
And, as has been the case for the past four decades, the center for all the action was the town's recreation area, more than 25 acres of land on Pond Road, featuring a playground; cookout facilities; tennis, basketball, and shuffleboard courts; a ball field with dugouts; hiking trails; and the center's signature feature – a swimming pool with two diving boards.
Saturday's town picnic started off with a morning softball game pitting Recreation Department staff against Vernon residents. The residents won, 5-4.
This was followed by a parade composed of floats, cars new and old, the Vernon Fire Department, scouts from Cub Scout Pack 412, the Vernon Little League, town vehicles, horseback riders, and many more.
From there the day's festivities began, including a dunk-tank, horse rides, old car exhibits, smash-a-car, a bounce house, bingo games, balloon-popping, and a wildlife bird exhibit.
Kids of all ages made off with ice cream and snow cones, popcorn, and cotton candy. The Vernon Fire Department manned the grills for a donations-only barbeque.
The sunny day dimmed to dusk, which exploded in a colorful fireworks display that drew applause from all.
The Recreation Department has daily and weekly all-ages activities scheduled throughout the summer, including swimming lessons, parent-infant swim groups, diving lessons, day camp, archery lessons, sports camp, and a teens-only night.