PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
As the Swampscott parade approaches, from left, Paige and Owen Shanahan, and Noah and Cole Gosselin peer down the road to see what’s coming next.
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — Hundreds of residents gathered on the Town Hall lawn Sunday to eat strawberry shortcake and hear the first Swampscott by the Sea concert.
The concert series started its third season as part of the Strawberry Festival, which began with a parade from Humphrey Street to Town Hall. The featured band was the Navigators, which includes four Swampscott residents.
Stephen Shepherd, a Stoughton resident and bass player, said the Navigators would play pop music at the festival. The band, once known as the Jazz Navigators, features music from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
Swampscott residents Nancy Wolinski and Shauna Guidici are the vocalists who said they were happy to be playing at the festival.
“You feel like it’s this community event and it’s really fun to be a part of it,” Wolinski said.
Also in the band is Town Moderator Michael McClung on keyboard.
Chris Shepherd, a Natick resident, said he came to support his brother Stephen’s band.
Sheila O’Neil, a Swampscott resident, said she comes every year with her family. She said her son, Charlie, 8, likes the strawberry shortcake.
“It’s a nice family event for the kids,” she said.
Patty Colone, of Swampscott, and Alex Carew, of Salem, listened to the band and planned to grab a cannoli, but were at the festival for another reason.
“We’ve been supporting the Swampscott robotics team, as well as to watch the parade,” Colone said.
It wouldn’t be a Strawberry Festival without shortcake. This was evident as the table making the dessert was busy.
Heidi Carreiro, a parent whose son is a junior at Swampscott High School, said the junior football players and cheerleaders are raising money for the upcoming school year by selling the food. The goal was to sell 600 of the cakes at $5 each, which consisted of strawberries, whipped cream and a biscuit.
“The festival is kind of centered around this fundraiser,” she said.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley