Around Town: Foxboro Run Against Diabetes, Clean Up Foxborough Day, Prom & Cornhole Commotion

As the calendar turns to June the town comes to life to welcome the unofficial start to summertime in Foxborough.

The spirit of Foxborough will be ever-present Saturday as all ages of the community will be participating in a variety of town wide events, beginning with Clean Up Foxborough Day.

Clean Up Foxborough Day

• WHAT: Clean Up Foxborough Day
• WHEN: Saturday, June 1, 8 a.m. to noon
• WHERE: Check in at Town Hall parking lot

Town Historian Jack Authelet and Foxborough resident AJ Dooley, owner of Dooley Disposal Services, took exception to the amount of litter they’ve seen around town and have organized a community-wide clean up day event for Saturday to rid the town of its litter in advance of the 25th annual Founders Day on Saturday, June 8th.

After receiving the Board of Selectmen’s approval to hold such an event, Authelet and Dooley implored the help and support of the community, which has signed up in force to clean up Foxborough on Saturday, June 1.

Organizers will be providing trash bags, receptacles and have grouped teams of volunteers to fan out across the town and pick up trash along the roadsides, parks, schools and other public areas.

Volunteers who preregistered online will be given high visibility t-shirts for safety and are asked to bring yard work-style gloves, good shoes (sneakers or boots) and something to drink (water or energy drinks). It will certainly be a hot Saturday with temperatures expected to reach 90 degrees, so be prepared and stay safe.

According to event information published in Thursday’s Foxboro Reporter, volunteers are asked to check in at the registration desk located in the Town Hall parking lot between 8 and 8:30 a.m. Saturday. The desk can be reached at (508) 543-1389.

Volunteers will organize in their predetermined groups and be given a route to clean up.

When trash bags are filled they will be removed for proper disposal by Dooley Disposal Services.

Volunteers are expected to finish their routes around noon Saturday, according to the Reporter, and are invited to gather on the Common for a box lunch and music provided by a DJ courtesy of Waxy O’Connors.

To read more about the event, click here.

***

13th Annual Foxboro Run/Walk Against Diabetes

• WHAT: Foxboro Against Diabetes 5K Run/Walk
• WHEN: Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m.
• WHERE: Begins at the Invensys cafeteria on Neponset Avenue
• ROAD CLOSURES: Chestnut Street - from Payson Road to Mechanic Street - will be closed (eastbound) from 9:50 to 11 a.m. The westbound lane of Chestnut Street, from Mechanic to North streets, will be closed from 9:50 to 10:20 a.m. and Mechanic Street traffic traveling inbound from the center will be detoured east on Chestnut to Cocasset streets, from 9:50 to 10:30 a.m. Baker and Bird streets will also be shutdown from 10 to 10:30 a.m., and Neponset Avenue will be closed to traffic from 9 to 11 a.m.

The 13th annual Foxboro Against Diabetes 5K run/walk will take place Saturday with an after-race party at Lafayette House at the corner of Washington and Pine streets in Foxborough. The race will begin at 10 a.m. at the Invensys cafeteria on Neponset Avenue.

This event is held in memory of Shannon Hurley and all proceeds are donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. For more information, visit www.FoxboroAgainstDiabetes.com.

Expect Detours on Race Day

Due to the high number of participants and to provide safety to runners and motor vehicles, there will be some detours and road closures during this event.

Chestnut Street - from Payson Road to Mechanic Street - will be closed (eastbound) from 9:50 to 11 a.m. The westbound lane of Chestnut Street, from Mechanic to North streets, will be closed from 9:50 to 10:20 a.m. and Mechanic Street traffic traveling inbound from the center will be detoured east on Chestnut to Cocasset streets, from 9:50 to 10:30 a.m. Baker and Bird streets will also be shutdown from 10 to 10:30 a.m., and Neponset Avenue will be closed to traffic from 9 to 11 a.m.

The Foxborough Police Department, which is a proud partner of the Foxboro Against Diabetes 5K Run/Walk will be assisting with these road closures.

For the past 13 years, the Foxborough Police Relief Association and the department has proudly supported this race to help this organization reach its goal of "Making Diabetes a Disease of the Past."

***

Foxborough High School Junior Prom

• WHAT: Foxborough High School Junior Prom
• WHEN: Saturday, June 1, 7 p.m.
• WHERE: Luciano’s, Wrentham

Foxborough High School students will enjoy a night of gowns, dinner, limos, and dancing with their friends on Saturday at the school’s annual junior prom held this year at Luciano’s in Wrentham. Have prom photos? Share them on Foxborough Patch by uploading them to this gallery! (Click here).

*** 

Matt Light’s First Charity Cornhole Commotion for a Cause Tournament

• WHAT: Cornhole Commotion for a Cause
• WHEN: Saturday, June 1 (noon to 6 p.m.)
• WHERE: Gillette Stadium Dana Farber Field House

Former New England Patriots offensive tackle Matt Light has organized a massive cornhole tournament – to be held Saturday at Gillette Stadium’s Dana Farber Field House - through his self-titled foundation to help raise money and awareness for youth empowerment.

Cornhole, according to PlayCornhole.org, is "similar to horseshoes except you use wooden boxes called cornhole platforms and corn bags instead of horseshoes and metal stakes. Contestants take turns pitching their corn bags at the cornhole platform until a contestant reaches the score of 21 points. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point."

Saturday’s tournament will feature 128 teams made up of local celebrities, cornhole enthusiasts, corporate sponsors and those gathering to simply support a great cause.

According to NECN.com, there will be 48 courses and the tournament is double-elimination with the championship game being played outdoors on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. The winning team will receive a $1,500 custom cornhole set and $1,000 in cash. Other prizes will be rewarded to the top four teams.

The event will feature a variety of entertainment for observers throughout the day, including a Taste of Patriot Place, FunFest KidZone sponsored by Stop & Shop with Patriot Experience inflatables, Patriots cheerleaders, a dunk tank, contests, musical entertainment and more.

Cost of admission is $5 per person or $20 per family.

For more information, visit the Matt Light Foundation’s website.

***

Rock-N-Dock Festival & Dock Dogs at Patriot Place

For the second year in a row, Team21 has teamed with Bass Pro Shops, Dockdogs and local and national sponsors to bring its second annual Rock-N-Dock Festival to Patriot Place from Thursday, May 30 to Sunday, June 2.

The festival will feature an exciting aquatic canine competition, food, vendors and fun family activities on all four days. In addition to the action-packed events scheduled at Bass Pro Shops, there will be a benefit concert on Saturday at Showcase LIVE featuring Nashville recording artist Lori McKenna.

A complete schedule of events is listed below.

The Dockdogs competition will be the main event on all four days as canines from all over the country compete in three categories of the world’s premier canine aquatics competition: Big Air, Extreme Vertical and Speed Retrieve.

All three world-record holding dogs from each of these categories will be in Foxborough for the competition. The dog with the highest combination of scores in all three categories will earn the title of “Iron Dog.”

The Dockdogs event is free, open to the public and pet friendly.

The spotlight Dockdogs event starts Friday at 6 p.m. and will feature two world record holders. The Extreme Vertical competition will be highlighted by Bo and Yeager, who currently co-own the world’s highest vertical jump at 8-feet-4-inches, while other dogs rarely top the 7-foot mark.

As the dogs are resting their paws on Saturday night, Showcase LIVE will be rocking with a benefit concert. Stoughton resident and five-time Boston Music Awards Best Folk Artist winner, singer/songwriter Lori McKenna, will perform. The concert begins at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at www.showcaselive.com.

Proceeds from the Rock-N-Dock Festival will benefit Team21, Children’s Hospital Boston Down Syndrome Programs, the Mass General Hospital Down Syndrome Program and the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress to help raise awareness about the importance of early intervention programs in helping children with Down syndrome live their fullest lives.

2nd Annual Rock-N-Dock Festival Schedule of Events

Saturday, June 1

• 9:30 a.m. - Big Air Wave #7
• 11:30 a.m. - Big Air Wave #8
• 1:30 p.m. - Speed Retrieve (All in One Finals)
• 4:30 p.m. - Lori McKenna Benefit Concert (Showcase LIVE)

Sunday, June 2

• 9:30 a.m. - Big Air Wave #9
• 11:30 a.m. - Big Air Wave #10
• 1:30 p.m. - Big Air Wave #11

4 p.m. - Big Air Finals