---

WRENTHAM

Despite the best efforts of Tropical Storm Hanna, the 27th annual Wrentham Day and the Wrentham Wroad Wrace took place on Saturday, attracting a crowd of residents and hungry ice cream eaters.

Among the usual vendors and booths such as the "Dental Dunkin' " booth and the Banana Split Sundae Race hosted by the Wrentham Lions Club, there were 15 booths and a giant cow for children to pet.

The "Dental Dunkin' " booth is run by Advanced Dental Practices, which is located close to the Wrentham Common where the activities take place, and the company has been participating in Wrentham Day for more than half a decade. Dr. Ross Palioca, the owner of Advanced Dental Practices, said he donates all of the proceeds to Lions Club charities, but this year didn't get to sit on the dunking machine.

The Lions Club, of which Palioca is a member, has run the Banana Split Sundae Race for the past 20 years. It is not actually a race, but a free ice cream give-away. "It used to a be a real free for all," Eric Podolsky, the secetary of the Lions Club said. The ice cream was originally in the aluminum foil as one long strip, he added, and people used to go up to it and dig in. Now they separate the ice cream, donated by Cumberland Farms, using 400 banana boats.

One of those diving into the ice cream was 7-year-old Katherine McCallister. Unwilling to be distracted, she sat with her parents, Ian and Alison, and 8-year-old brother Aidan. The McCallisters have been Wrentham Day regulars for the last six years despite living in nearby Franklin. Ian McCallister used to help manage the race, which was why they started attending. But his wife added, "The music is good and there is nothing like a little free ice cream."

Music was provided by Ken Barney and Kevin Connelly, who have been playing together for 10 years - and at the last five Wrentham Days.

Trying to recruit fellow residents to sign a petition for Darfur was King Phillip Regional High School student Rachel Turner, one of the several volunteers from the school's Stand Chapter. She managed to get around 100 signatures by 2 p.m., a short time before the rain resumed for a bit. The students had bracelets made by women refugees in Darfur on sale for $9.

Jacob Bruner, a Cub Scout with Troop 131, had the idea to sell hand-made gimp to help raise money for his troop.