KA8SCP-Terry Stader – MEMA Region 1 RACES Officer/ARES District Emergency Coordinator writes:
Hello fellow ham radio communicators.
We are still looking for ham radio support for the annual Westford Apple Blossom Parade. The parade will be held rain or shine on Saturday, May 16th. The parade starts in Westford Center and ends at the Abbot School. It has been hosted by the Westford Kiwanis (https://westford.org/kiwanis/) and has a long history in town. PART has been providing comm support for many years. Parade starts at 10 AM, we usually muster around 8AM for any last minute updates and to insure adequate coverage. Parade is done usually before noon. Your assignment could finish earlier. When you finish you can make your way down to the carnival and get that sausage, peppers and onions sub you missed as Hosstraders/NEAR-Fest!
This is a laid back event. Great for a newcomer to the ranks and just fun watching a parade. All you need is a 2 meter FM handheld that works with the Westford 146.955 WB1GOF repeater. Some assignments are stationary at specific parade route locations, others may be assigned to shadow one of the Kiwanis Parade organizers. We are looking for 12 (minimum) to 16 hams for this event. This is a public service event, so we will count this as EMA section ARES and RACES credit.
If you’d like to sign up or need more information, please contact me, Terry KA8SCP ka8scp@arrl.net
Terry M. Stader – KA8SCP
MEMA Region 1 RACES Officer
ARRL ARES Eastern MA District Emergency Coordinator for Region 1 RACES