SANFORD, Maine — Beloved traditions are returning to Sanford this summer, giving residents and visitors alike the opportunity to explore the wide range of fun the community has to offer during these hotter months.
Fourth of July fun in Sanford
Independence Day is celebrated over two days in Sanford. The city will launch its annual fireworks show on the night of Thursday, July 4, and will follow with its annual parade on Friday, July 5.
Fireworks will light the night over Number One Pond at dusk, or a little after 9 p.m. The area has many vantage points from which to look to the skies: the shore of the pond, along William Oscar Emery Drive; the bridge crossing the pond on Winter Street; Gateway Park, located at the falls at the corner of Riverside Avenue and Washington Street; and from numerous high points elsewhere in the community, such as at the top of the hill at Gowen Park on Main Street and from the parking lot of MaineHealth’s campus facing June Street.
Families enjoy fireworks from their spots at Gateway Park in Sanford, Maine, on July 3, 2024. The city’s Fourth of July traditions are returning this summer of 2025, as are other local opportunities for fun.
Also on July 3, the Maine Attraction Water Ski Team will entertain audiences with their acrobatics on Number One Pond, with some pre-show stunts at 6 p.m. and a full show at 6:30 p.m.
Before and after the water ski show, during the hours leading up to the fireworks, you also will be able to enjoy food trucks, live entertainment, and more along Number One Pond’s shore on William Oscar Emery Drive.
On the Fourth, the city’s annual parade will begin at 10 a.m. The procession of floats, dancers, scouts, dignitaries, business owners, Shriners, and more will start in the general area of Malcolm Avenue and will proceed north on Main Street to Gowen Park.
The Sanford Mainers will also play a home game versus the Ocean State Waves at Goodall Park on July 4 – their first home game on Independence Day in 15 years, according to Jackson Walsh, the team’s director of broadcast and media.
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Waypoint’s Music Fest takes center stage
Motor Booty Affair will take center stage alongside Fugitive at the 2nd annual Waypoint Music Fest.
The festival will take place July 3, from 4 to 8 p.m., along Waypoint’s waterfront property at 5 Dunaway Drive, off Route 4.
Motor Booty Affair will perform at the Waypoint Music Fest on July 3, 2025, in Sanford, Maine.
Waypoint said the festival is about more than just music.
“It’s about making a meaningful difference in the lives of children with autism and intellectual developmental disabilities,” the organization said. “Proceeds from the Music Fest will directly support Waypoint’s children’s and adults’ programs.”
Local food vendors, including Kona Ice, will be on hand for refreshments at the festival, and there will be a beer garden sponsored by Shipyard Brewing Company and River Junction.
Tickets are available to purchase online at www.waypointmaine.org. General tickets are priced at $30 each, or you can opt for the deluxe ticket package, which includes a t-shirt and koozie for $55.
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Sanford Mainers kick off 24th season of summer baseball
The Sanford Mainers are back in action with their 2025 season at Goodall Park on Roberts Street. Throughout June and July — and, if it’s a winning season, into early August — families and fans are invited to enjoy some collegiate ball.
The Mainers and their twelve fellow teams in the New England Collegiate Baseball League each will play 44 games at fields across New England this summer.
Ryan Minckler pitches for the Sanford Mainers at Goodall Park in Sanford, Maine, during a game in the summer of 2024. The Mainers are now back in action for the 2025 season. Brandon Brown/Seacoastonline
In Sanford, fans attending games can meet Broose D. Moose, the team’s beloved mascot, along with his energetic nephew, Boomer. They will also enjoy live music, tasty refreshments, exciting raffle prizes, and spirited competitions between innings— all while cheering on the home team as they pitch, hit, catch, and slide their way through June and July.
Local game nights also have themes celebrating local schools, organizations, and others.
You can watch the Mainers on the NECBL network and exclusively on ESPN+ for select games this season. You can also listen to every Mainers road game on 104.3 FM and seacoastoldies.com.
For more on the Mainers, including the full season schedule and to purchase season tickets, visit online at sanfordmainers.com or on the Mainers official mobile app.
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‘Broadway on Water’: Water Ski Team to make a splash this summer
For 35 years, the Maine Attraction Water Ski Team has delighted and amazed audiences with their shows of water acrobatics on Number One Pond. This summer, that tradition continues, with a whole new show being billed as “Broadway on Water.”
“The team is out on the water prepping for a season full of awe-inspiring wonder that will keep your attention,” said Lori Hegarty, the city’s recreation coordinator and an original Maine Attraction leader and member.
The Maine Attraction Water Ski Team will return to Number One Pond in Sanford, Maine, for several shows throughout the summer of 2025.
The award-winning team, known for everything from its conventional and barefoot water skiing to its human pyramids and jumps off ramps, will put on free shows for the public every Thursday in July at 6:30 p.m. There will be two additional shows, one at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, and another on Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 1, at 4 p.m.
Given the shows’ popularity, the team recommends arriving for shows half an hour early to find a good parking space as well as a good spot along the shore of Number One Pond on William Oscar Emery Drive.
“People travel over a four-hour drive to see our family-friendly, highly entertaining, water ski shows,” Hegarty said.
The team can be seen in a Twisted Tea commercial and is expected to grace the covers of two Maine magazines, “Maine Boats, Homes, and Harbors” and “DownEast,” according to Hegarty.
Anyone looking for a day trip can also follow the team when they travel to perform in Oquossoc, Maine, on Saturday, Aug. 16, and in Alton Bay, New Hampshire, on Saturday, Aug. 23.
For more information, visit online at maineattractionwaterski.com.
Sanford-Springvale Historical Society hosts summer events
You can make this summer a historic one by attending any number of the special programs that the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society has planned at its museum at 505 Main Street in the weeks ahead.
Presentations throughout the summer will include “The Age of Medicine & Midwifery” on Sunday, June 15; “Holidays of Early New England” on Sunday, June 29; “Colonial Dame School” on Saturday, July 12; “Going to School in Colonial New England” on Saturday, July 19; “Call Me Madam: A Visit With Clara Goodwin” on Saturday, July 26; and “A Day in the Life of an 18th Century Servant” on Saturday, Aug. 2.
Located at 505 Main Street in Springvale, Maine, the Sanford-Springvale Historical Museum will host numerous presentations about New England history throughout the Summer of 2025.
Times for these free presentations vary. For more information, visit the historical society’s website at sanfordhistory.org.
Explore the hidden trails of Sanford-Springvale
Miles of trails wend through the Sanford-Springvale community, offering scenic routes for walking, biking, horseback riding, and enjoying the vast expanses of nature — hidden like a gem amid the city’s bustle.
The network is comprised of numerous trails and preserves, such as the McKeon Environmental Reserve, the Hall Environmental Reserve, and the Lowd Environmental Reserve, all courtesy of the Mousam Way Land Trust.
This entry on Hanson Ridge Road in Springvale, Maine, leads to a scenic path along the Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail, just one stretch of so many miles of trails and reserves through the city of Sanford-Springvale.
The Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail is six miles long and built on the old rail bed that once passed through the community.
Two other trails, Mousam Way North and Mousam Way South, follow the Mousam River as it snakes and rushes through the woods of the community, offering such sites as Indian’s Last Leap in Springvale and a boardwalk over wetlands off Emery Street in Sanford.
Also, trails are winding through the woods surrounding the Sanford-Springvale YMCA on Levasseur Drive and the nearby Sanford Middle School.
These trails are free and open to the public.
To see a map of the city’s trail system and to find out more Sanford-Springvale has to offer, visit the town website.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Sanford Summer 2025: Fireworks, waterskiing, baseball, and more