VAN BUREN, Maine — Van Buren’s largest annual event, Christmas in July, kicks off this Friday with a 5K glow run/walk that will benefit the town’s Class of 2028 and the Austin James West Memorial Scholarship Fund.
The fund was established in memory of Austin West of Van Buren, who died by suicide in 2016 at age 15. West’s friends and family later created the fund to help Aroostook County students attend college in Maine.
Sherry Ouellette, West’s mother, said the 2018 graduating class, many of whom were good friends of her son, asked her if she wanted to take over the fundraiser for West’s fund. She said the fund has so far awarded over $18,000 to Aroostook County youth.
“Because it is such a big fundraiser, each year we partner with a different class from the Van Buren Secondary school,” Ouellette said. “The students assist in getting sponsorships and preparing for the event and the proceeds are divided evenly amongst the Austin James West Memorial Scholarship Fund and the class.”
The glow run/walk is untimed and non-competitive.
This will also be the town’s third annual Christmas in July festival. The festival, organized by the Van Buren Revitalization Association, began in 2023. The event includes live music, food trucks, and several activities for guests and families.
The association formed in 2021 and officially became a nonprofit the following year. It also organizes the town’s holiday parades.
The name “Christmas in July” came when the town didn’t take its Christmas parade banner down right away. A member of the association joked that the town might as well leave it up and hold a “Christmas in July event.”
The event also references the town’s former nickname of “Christmas Town,” which it got in the 1950s during its economic peak. At that time, the nearby Loring Air Force Base brought a great deal of business to the community and Van Buren’s downtown was filled with unique shops where people could buy Christmas gifts.
The glow run has kicked off Christmas in July since it began in 2022.
“It’s been a great partnership and the fundraiser continues to be more and more successful every year,” Ouellette said. “[The Van Buren Revitalization Association] is a wonderful group to work with and we owe a big thank you to them for including us in their festival activities and helping to continue making this such a great event.”
In addition to the glow run, a 6 p.m. cornhole tournament will also be held at the town’s community center on Champlain Street.
The majority of festivities are planned for Saturday, July 26. The day will feature a farmer’s market on Main Street from 9 a.m. to noon, a craft fair on Main Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and include a Christmas in the Garden event at the town’s new community garden on Grant Street.
The bulk of festivities will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the town’s boat landing on Saturday. There will be free horseback rides, live music from Dennis McGuire and French Toast, boat rides, karaoke, face painting, bounce houses and a 4 p.m. visit from Santa Claus.
The glow run, set for 8 p.m. on Friday, will begin and end at the Van Buren Community Center. Registration opens at 7 p.m. and the run itself begins at 8 p.m.
Participants can also find online registration via the Van Buren Revitalization Association or Team Austin “Westy” pages on Facebook. Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for adults and $40 for immediate families of four or more. The first 20 to register online will get a free event T-shirt.
