"Generations of Wakefield residents have gathered on the Wakefield common for band concerts, welcome home celebrations, sailboat and motorboat races, July 4th celebrations, and town anniversary celebrations. Wakefield's upper and lower commons were significantly improved with the addition of the bandstand and the improvements made through the bequest of Cornelius Sweetser in the 1880s. Many also gathered on the shores of Wakefield Quannapowitt [sic] from 1872 to the mid-1900s to rent sailboats and canoes, and to dance at the Wiley Boathouse and later the Hill Boathouse in the center of the picture. In the photo, the gentlemen are setting up for the Old Home Week Pageant sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. In 1978, a Wakefield Item 'Looking Back' column focused on Lake Quannapowitt: 'Lake Quannapowitt, the town's recreational lake and one of the community's 20th century assets, has played an important role in local life for many, many years. At one time, the lake and its shores provided the core of summertime recreation and fun in an era that was slower paced and more serene.'" - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio. Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2008 Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
