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Volunteers: Fenwick Festival about family

Volunteer Evan Dobrozsi sets up the public address system in preparation  for the Fenwick Festival this weekend  at Fenwick High School in Middletown.

Staff photo by Pat Auckerman Volunteer Evan Dobrozsi sets up the public address system in preparation  for the Fenwick Festival this weekend  at Fenwick High School in Middletown. 

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By Marie Rossiter, Staff Writer 1:32 AM Thursday, June 24, 2010

FRANKLIN — Tents are popping up this week across Fenwick High School’s parking lot in preparation for the 58th annual Fenwick Festival scheduled for Friday through Sunday, June 25-27.

As one of the largest festivals in the area, with an average of nearly 20,000 visitors each year, the festival has become an annual tradition for families and even the workers.

Volunteers John Arnold, Bill Becker and Ed Dobrozsi spent a hot Tuesday afternoon surveying the setup progress. It’s a position the trio has been in many times before. Dobrozsi started working at the festival in 1964 while he was still a Fenwick student, while Arnold and Becker both have lost count how many years they’ve returned to lend a hand.

“It was really a family thing,” Dobrozsi said. “I had a father and uncles who would work here, so it was a matter of them dropping me off and saying, ‘We’ll pick you up at five for dinner’ and then bringing me back for another few hours.

Dobrozsi estimated nearly 2,000 visitors help pull together the event, from long-timers to current Fenwick students.

“It’s a lot of work that most people don’t realize needs to happen or see,” Arnold said. “It’s a big project. But this is something our moms and dads did with love. So, now, we feel like we need to pick up where they left off. They built the foundation of the event. We’re just building on top of it.”

Even with big changes over the years, from an expanding school community beyond Middletown to changing locations to the new school building site in 2004, the festival continues to endure because of its family-friendly atmosphere. There are more than 30 individual game and activity booths to enjoy, including rides, typical carnival games and more adult fare such as poker. Rides are always a big draw, Dobrozsi said, as well as the ever-expanding menu of delicious fair-type foods and dinners.

“We try to cover it all,” he said. “Tacos, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, corn on the cob ... then, each night there is a special dinner, including our annual spaghetti dinner on Sunday. Bring your appetite and just be ready to have a great time.”

The festival runs 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday and 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday.

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