Twelfth annual Community Day draws big turnout

The 12th annual Community Day at Tufts, co-sponsored by the Office of Community Relations and the cities of Medford and Somerville, was held on the Academic Quad yesterday afternoon with student performances, food, activities and table displays by local and on-campus groups.

“It’s really just a day to welcome residents from Medford and Somerville so ... they can see all the exciting research and activities that are going on right in their backyard,” Assistant Director of Community Relations Susan Fuller-DeAmato said. “Each year it gets bigger -- we have more participating groups, more guests.”

Fuller-DeAmato estimated that about 2,000 people attended the event.

Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel explained that the good weather played a major role in the high turnout.

“Half the people I’ve spoken to have started up by saying 'what a beautiful day you have for Community Day,'” she said. “We really lucked out ... People want to be here on a day like this.”

According to Fuller-DeAmato, about 35 Tufts groups and 45 local community organizations set up tables to showcase the work they were doing.

Among the attending organizations were Friends of the Medford Public Library and Friends of the Somerville Public Library, which gave away books at their tables, and local rescue shelter Kitty Connection, which had informational displays with photos of animals up for adoption.

“We have the old favorites ... like the Smile Squad from [the School of Dental Medicine] and the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach,” Fuller-DeAmato said. “They bring Legos, [and the] Smile Squad brings toothpaste and toothbrushes.”

The Tufts University Police Department arrived with its cruisers, while the Medford Fire Department set up its smoke house, a simulator where children could learn about fire safety at home.

Lieutenant Neil Rosie from the Medford Fire Department said that it was an opportunity to teach the community about fire safety and fire prevention.

“The kids are here, you got a group of them ... for maybe a couple minutes, but every little thing you can teach them [helps],” he said.

Many of the groups have returned year after year, including the Zonta Club of Medford, which was represented by Julie Kaufman.

“I love getting involved in my community and my neighborhood,” she said.

Other Tufts groups that participated include the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, the Department of Biology and the Tufts Association for Women in Math, according to Fuller-DeAmato.

More than a dozen dance, music and a cappella groups, including the Jackson Jills, the Beelzebubs, sQ!, Garba and Sarabande, performed for an audience on the main stage, while activities such as dance lessons from La Salsa and a game of Kidditch with the Tufts Quidditch Team took place on a side stage.

Two tents were set up for children’s activities, which included face painting, pumpkin decorating and more. Chinami Michaels, a fifth-year student in the dual degree program with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, drew portraits and caricatures.

“It’s nice seeing the kids and meeting their families, and it’s nice to see them enjoying Tufts too," she said.

According to Fuller-DeAmato, volunteers are critical to making Community Day a success.

“A huge help is having our interns Justin Rheingold and Abby Tresalus,” she said. “The student interns really know how to connect to other students and get them to be involved and help out with recruiting volunteers and performance groups.”

Many families with children find the event particularly attractive, but Community Day provides entertainment for all ages, Fuller-DeAmato said.

“Because we have so many [activities], everybody finds something that they enjoy,” she said.

Eva Sadowska, a local resident attending Community Day for the first time, said that her daughters had a great time at the event.

“I think it’s really awesome, I’m very impressed with the quality of things,” she said, noting the paper plates and wooden cutlery, which would all be composted, as an example. “I’m definitely going to come back.”