A new tradition is scheduled to begin in Londonderry at this year’s Old Home Day celebration, with the Boot Scootin’ Boogie 5K race and brewfest, the festival that will be taking place at the Londonderry Athletic Field Association complex following the run on Saturday, Aug. 17.
But with a new tradition beginning, an old one disappeared. The Londonderry Old Home Day Lundgren 5K run, which was held for almost four straight decades on Saturday mornings during Old Home Day celebration, has been replaced by the Boot Scootin’ race that will be an evening race and start at 6:30 p.m.
For many years, the Londonderry Old Home Day carried the name of David Lundgren, one of the seven current State Representatives, long-time resident and business owner in Londonderry.
After receiving confirmation that the new race, which is operated by Millennium Running and sponsored by Enterprise Bank, will be replacing the traditional event, the Londonderry Times reached out to Lundgren for comment: “I can’t say that I am too happy about it,” he said, when being asked about his name being dropped by the race organizers. “This is 38 years of tradition that was just eliminated.”
Lundgren added, “Historic things need to continue, but now that conglomerate Millennium Running took control over the event. It was always a fun run for people in our town and community and I don’t know what else I could say about it. I don’t want to say something derogatory.”
The District’s Representative still remembers the race’s first days: “I work really hard with a few more people in town in order to organize it. I was a small businessman back then, and put a lot of my time and money into it. In those days, the race was the only profitable event in Old Home Day, and it helped pay for the fireworks every year. We also used some of the money for the high school track. Things are changing over the years and this is the situation now here, in our area.”
When asked if he was contacted by the race organizers or the Old Home Day committee before his name was dropped from the race after so many years, Lundgren answered: “At first, they sent me a short memo and said that they still want my name to be connected with the race. But when I set down for a meeting with the Town Manager Kevin Smith and the race manager, they told me it is not going to happen. That was a real slap in the face for me. I am happy to comment now, because people need to know that this happened. It totally stinks.”