A seasonably warm Historic Bristol Day brought the entire riverfront community to life before the chillier weather starts to drive friends and neighbors apart and into their warm homes.
On Historic Bristol Day, the whole town comes to life. Radcliffe Street was filled with vendors and the wharf was packed with people from around the region. Popular Mill Street was hopping and the rest of town received a similar jolt.
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The effect was that much greater on the 41st annual Historic Bristol Day due to the tall ship Gazela Primeiro docking and offering free tours to patrons during the entirety of the festival and recent attention on Bristol’s revitalization. Event organizers said that the event drew more than 12,000 people into the borough, shattering old records.
“I think this is one of the biggest crowds yet,” said Ralph DiGuiseppe II, president of Bristol Borough Council. “It’s a plus for the town, and I am proud to have any kind of part in it.”
The festival is the biggest fundraiser for the Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation. Headquartered in an old schoolhouse on the 300 block of Cedar Street, a lot of the money goes towards maintaining the historic building and numerous programs.
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Nick Rizzo has been involved with the foundation since 2008. In those years, he has served on the board of the foundation and worked to make the annual festival a reality.
“I just like to see the huge turnout from inside and outside of town,” Rizzo said, explaining that people come from all over the county and even from out of state for the festival.
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A piece of the festival set a little bit away from the main portion is the car show, which takes up residence at the Snyder-Girotti Elementary School.
Mark Gesualdi, husband of Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation member Mary Gesualdi, thought to add the car show in 2011. Since then, the show has become an integral part of the festival. In order to keep the show in the open and free wheeling spirit of the rest of the festival, attendees can cast two ballots to help decide which cars receive awards.
