SAU 6 plans back-to-school carnival at Barnes Park in Claremont

SAU 6 is bringing its annual back-to-school festival back to Barnes Park in Claremont, setting the event for Saturday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. The district’s theme this year is Claremont’s Carnival Countdown to a New School Year, a framing that puts family access and school connection at the center of the late-summer gathering.

The July 9 announcement also made clear that the festival is meant to be more than a school information table. SAU 6 invited local organizations to set up a tent and directed inquiries to Courtney Porter at cporter@sau6.org, signaling that the district wants outside partners on site when families arrive for the new school year.

That matters for parents trying to get ready before classes begin. The district has said backpack distribution will be different this year, with the change tied to relationship-building and creating a stronger home-to-school connection. For families, the festival is shaping up as a one-stop opportunity to connect with schools, learn what is changing, and gather support before the first bell rings.

The event is not new. SAU 6 posted a similar back-to-school festival notice on July 25, 2025, and a 2024 Claremont Back to School Festival listing also placed the event at Barnes Park. The repeated use of the park suggests the district sees it as a natural site for a districtwide gathering rather than a single-school event.

Barnes Park fits that purpose. Local park references describe it as a long-used recreation space with a baseball field, soccer field, children’s play area and winter ice skating, a mix of amenities that makes it well suited for a family-focused event in the middle of Claremont.

The festival announcement comes as SAU 6 continues under new leadership. District posts have identified Tim Broadrick as superintendent, and Nichole Boynton was named Claremont Middle School principal in a July 1 post. Those changes follow a year in which the district has also faced a significant budget shortfall, staffing cuts and a private loan from Claremont Savings Bank that was set to run through April 2026.

Claremont, the only city in Sullivan County, had a population of 12,949 in the 2020 census, which makes districtwide events like this one especially visible. With schools, families and community groups converging in one place, SAU 6 appears to be using Barnes Park not just for a celebration, but as an early reset for how the district meets parents before the school year begins.