DANVERS — The 30th anniversary Danvers Family Festival officially ended with the bang of fireworks Sunday, but at least two of the events rained out during the past two weeks will spill over into the rest of the summer.
"We plan all year long, why not celebrate ... all summer long?" said Family Festival Committee Chairwoman Keelin Dawe.
The Kiwanis vs. Rotary softball game has been rescheduled to July 15 at 6 p.m., John George Park, 35 River St.
The Crafts and a Movie Night on the lawn of the Rotary Pavilion at the Peabody Institute Library, 15 Sylvan St., will be Aug. 17. The craft will start at 7 p.m., and the movie "Hotel for Dogs" at 8.
There's a possibility organizers will reschedule Oldies Night, Dawe said. The event, in which police block off a portion of Maple Street in Danvers Square so people can boogie to the oldies, got washed out last Wednesday. Dawe said people should check out www.danversfamilyfestival.com for updates.
The fireworks festival suffered a two-day delay because of a sodden field and concerns of more rain Friday. Even though there was a shower Friday afternoon, less than expected, Dawe said it was a good thing the fireworks in Plains Park were delayed until Sunday evening.
"The grounds were so wet, there were puddles everywhere," Dawe said. "It would have been miserable to work and to try to enjoy the fireworks in that kind of environment."
Some setup was done Friday, making things go smoothly on Sunday, she said.
"Everyone was out just celebrating the sunshine," she said of the day, which featured various musical acts and Danvers Idol winner Derek Bergman of Danvers performing.
Soon-to-be-new dad Sal Castiello of Peabody won more than $1,900 in the 50/50 raffle, which was announced before the fireworks, Dawe said.
The fireworks also featured a tribute to the late Donnie Barnett, who died last fall after organizing the fireworks for the past 18 years. Dr. Wayne Comeau read a tribute, and Barnett's daughter, Paige Barnett, and her friend, Brooke Calloway, sang "Fly to Your Heart," by Selena Gomez.
There were some glitches. The soundtrack had a skip in it because the music CD had a scratch it, Dawe said. The show stopped for several minutes as demonstration music was located. That music was three minutes longer than the fireworks display, and so as the lights came on, the howitzers went off.
"We still went off with a bang," Dawe said. "Thanks to the Army National Guard out of the Danvers Armory."
Dawe described the fireworks' colors as especially vibrant in the shape of bright smiley faces and hearts thanks to Atlas PyroVision Productions of New Hampshire, Dawe said.
There were no arrests, police said.
"All in all. it was a very uneventful event," said police Capt. Pat Ambrose, who estimated the crowd at 30,000. "It was pretty substantial, but it was a little less than in years past."
"I think everyone took advantage of going to the beach, and between 7:30 and 8:30 they said: 'Hey, let's go to the fireworks,'" Dawe said.
Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673 or by e-mail at eforman@salem news.com.
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