Brookline Day made its second return to Coolidge Corner on Sunday, Sept. 10 with an array of activities and tents hosted by town agencies, organizations and businesses, such as Boston Sports Medicine, Temple Sinai of Brookline and Brookline Chinese School.
Kiara Zani, a religious exploration instructor at First Parish Brookline Unitarian, helped host the First Parish tent where kids and adults were invited to decorate rocks with a variety of colored markers. Zani said even though it rained and they did not have an umbrella, she noticed that people still had smiles on their faces and loved the energetic atmosphere created by the community.
“[It] has been really nice to see so many happy faces, and we’re all kind of cooling off here a little in this rain,” Zani said. “I think that even though it’s raining, the weather has definitely not stopped the fun.”
Community Service Division Lieutenant David Hill, who helped host the Brookline Police stand, said the rain did not deter people from coming, as the stand was busy throughout the day. He and the other Brookline police enjoyed engaging and having conversations with the community members who passed by.
“We are glad that it seems to be a very successful event, as long as it is a safe event and everyone enjoys themselves,” Hill said. “We had a whole lot of souvenirs to give out, and having kids come by and engage to get that stuff is nice to see.”
Brookline’s Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) hosted a tent at the event. MRC is a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. These local volunteers assist local public health agencies in times of disaster and are trained to respond to a variety of situations.
Sophomore Maxim Chertov, representing MRC, said the event is a significant outreach opportunity for the organization, with the goal of both educating the community about how to prepare emergency response kits and recruiting volunteers.
Senior Aster Toole, also volunteering for the MRC, said despite the rain, the large turnout emphasized the community’s commitment to the event.
“The rain made me realize how much people want to be here,” Toole said. “This is a unique, once-a-year event that happens, and it’s such a big thing that it doesn’t make sense to go home just because of the rain.”
