The third of four Neighborhood Summer Festivals sponsored by Mayor Edward M. Lambert, Jr. and organized and coordinated by Community Coordinator Maureen Ryan Estes, was held at Lafayette Park on August 7th, 2007. The Festivals began as a Neighborhood Council project and have become a corner piece of summer fun in Fall River. They provide an opportunity for neighbors to meet each other in a fun environment, as well as heart-healthy activities and good food. Human service organizations including the Fall River Police Department, the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Massachusetts, Stanley Street Treatment and Resources, South Bay Mental Health, KOOL Smiles Dentistry, Healthfirst, FSA Big friends, Little Friends, Diabetes Association, Inc., SMILES Mentoring, and Community Development Recreation provided activities for children and information for adults. A final festival was scheduled for August 14th at Ruggles Park. For further information about these events, contact Community Coordinator Maureen Estes at 508-324-2405. Click here to see pictures of the Abbott Court Festival and here to see pictures of the Lafayette Festival.
 

(Top row, left) Kelsey Ribeiro knocks Jordan Moniz off his stand during the gladiator game at Maplewood Park. (Top row, center) Five-year-old Darian Moniz readies himself for his last of ten shots at the basketball shoot-out. (Top row, right) Twelve-year-old Chris Krong hurls a bean bag at the target while his friends look on. (Middle row, left) Nine-year-old Rachel Bernardo, her mother Attorney Lisa Luongo and aunt, Dr. Judith Luongo, exam a tube containing the amount of sugar in the typical soft drink at the Diabetes Association table. (Middle row, center) Shaquin Debarros pauses between shots at a basketball game. (Middle row, right) Eight-year-old Emily Castro joins her four-year-old brother Drew and her father, Glenn, in a crafts project at the WIC table. (Bottom row, left and right) Ten-year-old Jailene Rivera keeps her hula-hoop going longer than all of the other contestants in the SSTAR-sponsored event and receives a back pack from Keicha DeJesus and Bea Dean of Stanley Street Treatment and Resources while Deisha Laures looks on. (Bottom row, center) Sisters Chelsie and Madison Carpenter do the Macarena while Dylan landrey and Cathy Purdy watch.