DALTON, Mass. — The Community Recreation Association is kicking off its countdown to its 100th anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 5, with a birthday party on the lawn. 

 

The organization has been an integral part of the community since 1916 but its first brick and mortar building was constructed in 1922 with funds willed by W. Murray Crane. 

 

The association opened where it stands today, 400 Main St., on Nov. 9, 1923. 

 

CRA officials wanted to celebrate the centennial outdoors on the memorial lawn so did not want to wait until November for a ceremony. 

 

"We wanted to be able to enjoy the outdoors, the memorial lawn, and things like that so we decided let's do one thing in the summer when it's really nice and people want to be out and about," CRA Executive Director Alison Peters said. 

 

"And then we'll do something on the actual date in November, like maybe more of a community day or open house kind of thing." 

 

The anniversary had been incorporated into other events earlier this year including the Gib Kittredge Auction & Awards night and the May Day races. 

 

The summer birthday party on the lawn event will feature a family activities from 5 until 7 p.m. such as lawn games, face painting, balloon art, and live children's music. 

 

Following that, there will be music and dance by H.B. Funk & Co. from 7:30 until 10 p.m. 

 

Food and drinks will be available for purchase from Ozzie's Steak & Eggs, Kelly's Package Store and Sweet Pea's Ice Cream & Catering. 

 

The event celebrates the CRA, its impact on the community and its residents. 

 

The Dalton Historical Society has been helping the CRA for the past six months with research and gathering pictures, articles, books and identifying people for a historical display that will be on view during the event. 

 

"They have been a huge help. They have a lot more history about the CRA than we do actually so they've been very generous with their time," Peters said. 

 

There will be 10 tables displaying the history of the CRA by decade, Peters said. The Historical Commission has provided multiple folders of material to look through to aid in putting together the timeline the CRA wanted to create. 

 

For generations the CRA has been providing Dalton residents a place to gather, make friends, stay entertained, and give back to the community, Peters said. 

 

Over the years, the non-profit has evolved based on the needs of the community to include more social programming and expanding its accessibility to the surrounding area. 

 

Its mission, though, has stayed the same: "to provide recreational, cultural, educational, social, and wellness programs" to the community, Peters said. 

 

"[When the CRA first opened it] was bringing the community together, making sure everyone was looking out for each other and taking care of each other and that everybody's strong and healthy," Peters said. 

 

"And we're still doing that today. It's just we're doing different programs than we were doing 100 years ago, but our mission is still the same."

 

On average, the organization has about 90 kids every week all summer long. 

 

"We just keep adapting to the needs of the community. We do a lot more social programming now than we used to do," Peters said. 

 

The organization used to be focused on recreation but the needs of the community shifted toward the need for social programming like summer camps, teen programming, and day cares, she said. 

 

The CRA also gives residents of all ages a chance to feel part of their community through its activities and volunteer opportunities, she said.  

 

Peters shared a story about how a teacher lost that sense of community when she retired but was able to once again fill that gap by joining the CRA. 

 

Her students and the school were like her extended family, Peters said. She was able to find her new family at the CRA. 

 

This is just one of many stories Peters hears when speaking to CRA members. There are people who participated in CRA activities as kids and returned years later as adults, even if they live in a different area, she said. 

 

The impact of the CRA is multi-generational aiding in youth and older generations in being part of its community. 

 

The organization helps the younger generation develop into adults by teaching them skills, education, and values while also providing older generations a place to gather and volunteer. 

 

There is a group of women who met at the CRA pool and organized a group called the CRA Mermaids. 

 

The Mermaids will get together once a month for dinner at someone's house and make a donation to the person hosting who will then give it to an organization or group of their choosing, Peters said.

 

"And that's something that they're doing on their own now, but they were able to do it because they all met at the CRA," Peters said.  

 

The organization will be having more events leaving up to its 100th Anniversary Community Celebration on Thursday, Nov. 9 including live music, a Crane Paper sale, and the CRA Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony. 

 

The CRA is also holding its Music on Main Concert Series featuring performances by local musicians every Wednesday and Sunday. Schedule here.