Summer came to a close this week at Keach Park with bubbles, ice cream and free school supplies.
Concord families were invited to the park to grab goodies as children were preparing to head back to school next week.
Led by th Concord Connections Coalition, the back-to-school event has been helping families for 14 years in a row. All of the free backpacks and school supplies came from donations from member organizations in the coalition, like New York Life, which paid for the ice cream truck to give away treats.
“The main goal is to serve families in the Concord and the Capitol area community to help connect them with any resources that they may have, whether it be education, social services, or anything else,” said Craig Houston, program coordinator for the Capitol area Public Health Network, an initiative of Granite United Way.
Students in several area towns begin classes on Monday, including schools in Bow, Dunbarton, Hopkinton, Weare, Henniker, John Stark, Pittsfield, Chichester, Deerfield, and Pembroke.
Students in the Kearsarge Regional School District start classes Tuesday, followed by Merrimack Valley, Andover and Epsom schools on Wednesday. Concord students in kindergarten through ninth grade begin Wednesday as well, while students in grades 10 through 12 begin Thursday.
At least one area school district is extending summer beyond Labor Day, with classes in Franklin starting on Sept. 6.
(Staff writer Eileen O’Grady contributed to this report.)