Onset heats up again

Michael J. DeCicco

You know it’s summertime in Onset when you can smell the pizza ovens of Marc Anthony’s from yards away, see the families in beachwear crowding the streets, and hear the surf, the seagulls and the laughing beachgoers at Onset Bay.

You know it’s summertime in Onset when you can smell the pizza ovens of Marc Anthony’s from yards away, see the families in beachwear crowding the streets, and hear the surf, the seagulls and the laughing beachgoers at Onset Bay.

When free live music and other family-friendly events return to the waterfront, you’ll know it’s time for Onset Bay Association’s summertime event schedule.

After two years of pandemic restrictions, the 2022 Onset summer schedule is the start of back-to-normal times. “I’d say this year we are about 75 percent back to normal,” said Kat Jones, the Executive Director of the Onset Bay Association.

“We’ve prepared the same as we normally would for what we know will be a very busy summer, though we are still cautious, with COVID still being out there. All our events are outdoors, so we are not overly worried.

Jones is proud to note this year’s “Blessing of the Fleet” at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 2 will return to form at Onset Pier. They will also be bringing back the kids parade and the bicycle-petdoll carriage, occurring on the Pier right after the boat blessing parade around 11 a.m.

Most noteworthy is that both the Chalk Full-O-Fun Sidewalk Art and Craft Fair (to be held on Saturday, August 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and the weekly Wednesday Summer of Love Concert Series (starting July 6 and ending August 31), have been moved from the Lillian Gregerman Bandshell to the Bay View Park gazebo located at 184 Onset Avenue, next to the town pier. Concertgoers are advised to bring their own chairs.

The change of venue for these events is due to the fact that the Bandshell is still scheduled for reconstruction, Jones explained. Additional upgrades to Bay View Park itself will happen in the fall. Also new this year will be a revival of the Harvest Moon Festival on Saturday, September 24 (rain date September 25). The festival features a flea market, crafters and artisans, food trucks, a chili, chowder and stuffies contest, an antique and classic car show, and live music. Fireworks will take place at dusk.

The Association is still seeking vendors for this event, as well as for the 30th Annual Onset Blues Festival, scheduled for Sunday, August 7 from noon to 5 p.m. This event too has changed its venue, to the Onset VFW open air pavilion, 4 Gibbs Ball Park Road, East Wareham. Picnic tables for 8 can be reserved for $50, or walk-in for $5 per person. Guests are asked to BYOChair. More info and tickets are available at onsetbay.org.

“Staff shortages here have affected everything in town,” Jones said. “But our volunteers are ready to handle a busy summer. It’s a lot of work to have this much fun!”

And she’s not just talking about organizing events and crowd control. Jones expects an uptick of both summertime visitors this year and an uptick in litter bugs. The Association’s other efforts beside hosting events is being stewards of Onset Beach and beautifying the Village of Onset with their own Garden Club, The OBA Beautification Team. While the Association emphasizes that event attendees and beachgoers pick up their own trash, the group also has a team of volunteers that regularly collects the trash left behind during the summer months.

In other words, Onset is ready for anything this summer season, in more ways than one.

For more details on any of the above, go to onsetbay.org.