Town Gears Up for Natick Days

Natick Days will be held this Saturday, Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the common. By Alissa Letkowski September 7, 2011 The annual Natick Days event will return this Saturday, Sept. 10 with new activities to try and new local organizations to discover. "There's such a gamut of activities that there's something for everyone," said Dick Cugini, superintendent of Natick Recreation and Parks. Walnut Hill School for the Arts will offer a new attraction this year—custom bicycle helmets for kids. In partnership with the Natick Police Department and Middlesex Auto Body, the first 150 kids will get a free helmet designed by the art students. The artwork will be sent away to be sealed after the design is complete and the helmets will be available for pickup at the police station in about two weeks. The Natick Police Department will hold a bike auction, while the Natick Fire Department will hold an open house where families can get up close to the fire trucks and talk to firefighters. The Department of Public Works will allow people to climb into the seat of a backhoe and see what it's like to sit behind the controls. The Friends of the Natick Senior Center will have two horses giving rides around Natick center for $5 each. Visitors can also enjoy a moonwalk, bungee challenge, junior obstacle course, fishing booth, rubber ducky race, cheerleader demonstration and a dunk tank and silent auction run by the Natick ski team. The local carpenters' union will help kids build their own toolboxes that they can take home with them. A golf ball drop awards the person who can land their ball closest to a pin with a season pass to Sassamon Trace golf course. In addition to the new activities at Natick Days, this year is the first that pets will not be tolerated. Bringing pets has been discouraged in the past, but with the number of people anticipated to attend the event this year, pets would cause a safety risk, said Cugini. Free parking for Natick Days is available at Natick High School and a shuttle will be available all day to bring visitors to and from the common. Anyone who takes the shuttle will receive four free tickets to be used for any of the activities. Tickets are 25 cents each. The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 11.