It’s that time of year when many of us in East Greenwich start thinking about the Friday night of Labor Day weekend and making plans to attend Summer’s End at Eldredge Field. Like so many events, the annual Summer’s End concert did not take place in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were hopes, as restrictions lifted during the spring, that maybe Summer’s End could come back this year. Ultimately, however, there just wasn’t enough time to pull it off, say SE board members. 

The home-grown event, which first took place in 1996, has featured the Navy Band in recent years, preceded by a few local acts. Groups small and large set up picnics and children run around like it’s their last chance before winter closes in. Not by a long shot, of course, but there is a feeling of change in the air. 

SE board members Tom Perrelli and Martha Langer say Summer’s End will be back in 2022 and, in fact, they are hoping to make it a two-day event. Perrelli said it’s always seemed a shame to him that Summer’s End is one evening and poof, that’s it. He envisions music (multiple acts), an arts component, increased food offerings and children’s events spread out over two days. 

Langer and Perrelli both said they are eager to welcome new board members and volunteers. After all, an event this big (whether it’s one day or two) takes a lot of planning. Labor Day Weekend 2022 is just one year away – if you’d like to be involved (to fundraiser, do logistics, work on the program, do grunt work … ) contact either Tom ([email protected]) or Martha ([email protected]). They’d be happy to hear from you!