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Yankee Homecoming
'It is to honor George' Homecoming salutes its beloved founder
Published: July 26, 2007
NEWBURYPORT - Yankee Homecoming without George Cashman is like Mardi Gras without beads, the Boston Marathon without runners or baseball without the Red Sox.
"I think it is very strange," said Newburyporter John Alston, who was chairman of last year's event. "Not so much for the attendees, but for the volunteer base, I think it will be very strange.
"He was the driving force. He was the person to whom people went when they had problems, when they needed a sounding board. He was the embodiment of Yankee Homecoming, more than just the one who started it."
Cashman, who died in December at age 81, and Yankee Homecoming have been linked for 50 years.
When the artist Jack Frost developed the idea in 1957, he urged as many communities in New England to start homecoming celebrations in an attempt to bring tourists back to the region. In Newburyport, it was Cashman who wanted to showcase his hometown.
"George asked 100 people, and nobody wanted to do it, so he just did it himself," said Rosemary Cashman, George's wife. "He loved it. He just felt that it was just such a good thing for Newburyport."
George Cashman's influence on the event and his connection to homecoming continues on.
His picture appears on the cover of the program book for the 50th Yankee Homecoming. And throughout the 96-page book, Cashman's photograph is sprinkled on the pages, popping up in many places wearing a crown. There is a four-page spread inside, including a page of text and three pages of pictures, in honor of Cashman, who was slated to be the chairman of this year's event before he died.
In many respects, this year's Yankee Homecoming is George Cashman's Yankee Homecoming.
"The basic principal of homecoming has not changed, which says a lot of the founders," said Jason Lacroix, who along with his parents are the chairmen of this year's event. "It is still the basic outline: It is getting family and friends together in the community and doing good in the community at the same time.
"That model is his legacy," Lacroix said.
This year, Cashman's family will attend some of the major events in his honor.
Rosemary Cashman said she will attend the opening ceremony, which starts at noon Saturday with entertainment throughout the day. She will also attend the crowning of the senior king and queen, which is an event George grew fond of, Rosemary said.
"I think it is very strange," said Newburyporter John Alston, who was chairman of last year's event. "Not so much for the attendees, but for the volunteer base, I think it will be very strange.
"He was the driving force. He was the person to whom people went when they had problems, when they needed a sounding board. He was the embodiment of Yankee Homecoming, more than just the one who started it."
Cashman, who died in December at age 81, and Yankee Homecoming have been linked for 50 years.
When the artist Jack Frost developed the idea in 1957, he urged as many communities in New England to start homecoming celebrations in an attempt to bring tourists back to the region. In Newburyport, it was Cashman who wanted to showcase his hometown.
"George asked 100 people, and nobody wanted to do it, so he just did it himself," said Rosemary Cashman, George's wife. "He loved it. He just felt that it was just such a good thing for Newburyport."
George Cashman's influence on the event and his connection to homecoming continues on.
His picture appears on the cover of the program book for the 50th Yankee Homecoming. And throughout the 96-page book, Cashman's photograph is sprinkled on the pages, popping up in many places wearing a crown. There is a four-page spread inside, including a page of text and three pages of pictures, in honor of Cashman, who was slated to be the chairman of this year's event before he died.
In many respects, this year's Yankee Homecoming is George Cashman's Yankee Homecoming.
"The basic principal of homecoming has not changed, which says a lot of the founders," said Jason Lacroix, who along with his parents are the chairmen of this year's event. "It is still the basic outline: It is getting family and friends together in the community and doing good in the community at the same time.
"That model is his legacy," Lacroix said.
This year, Cashman's family will attend some of the major events in his honor.
Rosemary Cashman said she will attend the opening ceremony, which starts at noon Saturday with entertainment throughout the day. She will also attend the crowning of the senior king and queen, which is an event George grew fond of, Rosemary said.
And for the parade, the Newburyport Rotary Club, of which George was a past president, is building a float for the parade that will honor him. More than two dozen people will represent George Cashman on the float: his nine children, 16 grandchildren, Rosemary and many in-laws.
"It is to honor George," Rosemary Cashman said. "I'd rather be shot out of a cannon, but we'll do it for his sake."
Rosemary Cashman said her husband helped to shape homecoming from its beginning days until his last.
"He was always involved," she said. "He was always there. He was always at the meetings. He was pushing them in the direction he thought they should go. He was a great guy full of enthusiasm, and that is what you need for something to last this long."
Of the original 30 communities in the area to celebrate homecoming, Newburyport remains the only one to continue to make Yankee Homecoming an annual event. Cashman served as chairman, organizer of the board of directors, chairman of the board of Yankee Homecoming and chairman emeritus, and he attended many of the events.
