Opinion: Honoring a special member of the community

The Chalkfest (aka Chalk-Full-O-Fun) annual summer event, recently held in Onset at the bandshell area on August 17, is a wonderful community family experience! Where can you entertain your family for $5 for a sidewalk square, get a box of chalk to keep, do a story walk for the kiddos, meet professional chalk artists, see wonderful art, get your face-painted, shop a variety of over 20 craft vendors and hear wonderful live music in a beautiful ocean side setting? Nowhere ... this is a unique event! And it happens every year in our town!

For the past 10 years, Milly Burrows and her husband Jeff have been at the helm of the Chalkfest. Inspired when she experienced a chalkfest on a vacation, she envisioned it happening in our Onset. With much determination, many hours spent writing to secure grant funding, purchasing supplies, working with town officials, creating and posting signage around our town and neighboring towns, experiencing many setbacks, and unexpected changes of location (moved it to Wareham Town Hall area, and again moved it to the Buzzards Bay Coalition area and town pier- area; not an easy task!) and nevertheless she persisted!

With the ongoing help of many volunteers who have been with her for many years (a special shout out to Noah Young, and local high school students), this event continues to be a success!

Benefits to the town are immeasurable: welcoming people from all over the south shore, the Cape as well as Rhode Island, showing off our beautiful village, as well as bringing in more guests for the downtown local merchants. All the money raised goes to the Onset Bay Association that provides other community events that everyone in town benefits from.

This year, as her tenure ends and she passes the torch to Tammy Glass, who we wish much success, I wish to congratulate her on a job well done! Milly is truly a special member of our community and are great full for all her efforts!

I am proud to call her my friend (and Pickleball buddy) and thank her on behalf of many, for her unwavering commitment and making wonderful family memories for all.

Denise Makein
Chalkfest Volunteer