MONSON, Mass. – An Independence Day tradition has been cancelled in a Massachusetts town devastated by a tornado last month.
Summerfest chairman Steve Slozak says there was a lot of sadness when he announced the event couldn't happen this year in Monson. But he told The Boston Globe for Saturday editions that while people were hoping Summerfest would pull the community together, the tornado has already done that.
Summerfest began in 1979 and can draw nearly double the town's population of 8,500. It features events such as a frog-jumping competition, a soap box derby and a parade.
Slozak says several organizing committee workers lost their homes to the tornado and traffic patterns were a mess. He says it didn't seem right to ask the overworked police and fire departments to set up for the event.
