25 UNFORGETTABLE HOURS OF FUN
Confetti fills the air as the Westfield High, Technical Academy, and Middle School Bands arrive at the all-nigher kickoff.
The Musical Midway Charity All-Nighter was truly a success. From breaking the record of our most participants ever, to raising $33,832.00 for local charities, this past weekend was filled with unforgettable moments of joy and energy that leave us in wonder.
On Friday, February 28, volunteers from across the town spent a few hours finalizing decorations, making the last of our participant t-shirts, setting up the DJ equipment, and getting ready for the burst of energy that was to come! In the hour before registration, a calmness filled the hall - the calm before the storm - as photographers, registration, and activities volunteers filtered in to welcome our largest crowd of participants yet.
Participants toss marshmallows into their partner’s cup, part of the first minute-to-win-it game of the 25-hour marathon.
At 6:00pm, the bands started to arrive, which brought our first round of energy to the venue! Snare drums, saxophones, trumpets, and so many more sounds filled the foyer as the students arrived, set up their instruments, checked in to receive their commemorative t-shirt, and warmed up ahead of the big kickoff. When check-in opened, things were moving along quick, making sure that every student - over seventy of them! - had the chance to change into their Musical Midway tee, get out on the dance floor for some relaxing games, and getting the tunes booming through the halls!
When it was time for kickoff to begin, the room went dark and the speakers blasted our promotional video, followed by a brief introduction from the WMCD Youth Team about who we are, and what we do. Then, the Westfield High, Westfield Technical Academy, and Westfield Middle School Bands made their grand entrance, marching in from the back of the room to a grand percussion track, and signaling confetti to fly through the air when they arrived. Our host, Dominic Monti, welcomed all the participants and volunteers to the kickoff, and led the program forward with the National Anthem and Shippin’ Up to Boston, both performed by the big band. We were lucky enough to have Westfield Mayor Mike McCabe say a few words of encouragement, and to congratulate Mr. Patrick Kennedy on being selected as the recipient of the MMEA Distinguished Service Award. Then, it was time to get up and moving, so the participants hopped right into a game of Hula Hoop Relay as the band played their cover of Handclap. Our participants wearing berry shirts took the first win of the night, and with a big countdown, the kickoff wrapped up and the music turned up!
Participants explore the carnival-booth games to win tickets for prizes.
Once all the participants were ready to go, after a few last check-ins, all the participants joined in the fun (for the first time in WMCD history, we had both the middle & high school participants there Friday night!) for a quick game of limbo. We quickly transitioned to minute-to-win it games, such as tossing Marshmallows into your partners cup, doing a few games with Skittles, and more! Throughout the evening, we had a few carnival games that were always open to give a shot! As time passed, our hosts led us through games, carnival-booth challenges, and participants filtered into our Relax & Recharge room from time to time. Once 11pm rolled around, middle school students headed home for a good night of sleep, and our high school participants indulged in a classic WMCD meal: Dino Nuggets, Mac & Cheese, and French Fries.
It was time to transition to the overnight hours, which are full of lower-energy activities to preserve energy for the daylight hours ahead! Host Andrew O’Sullivan took the floor for the next twelve hours! Participants spent a few hours singing their hearts out at karaoke, watching some movies & cartoons, doing Just Dance, and spending time with their friends in our Relax & Recharge room whenever they wanted to. Plus, of course, some took the chance to get a few hours of sleep (highly recommended!) and get ready for the fun-filled day ahead. As we waited for the sun to rise, we played our first round of BINGO! (a fan favorite) and a makeshift game of Family Feud, all whilst getting a whiff of the delicious breakfast being prepared. Around 6:00am, participants ate a full breakfast of pancakes, bacon, juices, and more, while the last few participants woke up and were recharged for some more fun.
The morning hours were pretty low-key, with a few minute-to-win-it games, some more carnival booth game opportunities, ping pong, and some more Just Dance before the energy was brought back with the return of the middle school participants. Around 11:00am, middle school participants checked back in for their second day of fun and were treated to a full-on taco bar for lunch! The afternoon was busy: lots of minute-to-win-it games, such as trying to stack golf balls, eating donuts on a string, jump rope races, different challenges, musical towels (think musical chairs, but with beach towels!) and more. As the hours ticked down until our closing ceremony at 7:00pm, the hall became busier with volunteers, more wide-awake energy, and excitement for the most powerful hour of all.
Participants joined in for a few games provided by DJ Dave, a final round of musical towels, a fun pudding game, and exchanged their carnival tickets for prizes while volunteers brought out the table that would announce our grand total. Just before closing, our charity recipients, as well as members of our Board of Directors, enjoyed a light carnival-themed reception, and were seated in the front row (“VIP” seating!) as we announced the winners of $175 in VISA gift cards!
Youth Team Members announce the grand total of $33,832 raised by WMCD Inc. for the 25-hour all-nighter.
And right at 7:00pm, Dominic Monti welcomed all the participants, volunteers, recipients, and VIPs to the closing ceremony of the Musical Midway Charity All-Nighter. Saying a few words of thanks, Monti handed over the microphone to Harry Rock, the Master of Ceremonies for our closing, who returned as an MC for the second year in a row! Harry Rock made a bold entrance, sparking the participants to get up on their feet and dance to the YMCA and boosting the energy as we prepared to announce our grand total. Mr. Rock led with a few Thank You’s, a brief history of how WMCD got to where we are today and then invited up our 2025 recipients to speak about their missions, and the work they do. First, Rick’s Place gave a powerful testimony about the power of youth grief support that had us all in tears. To Rick’s Place volunteer Olivia, thank you for sharing your story with us. Then, Rachel’s Table introduced a few members of their teen board, and Griffin’s Friends founder Jim Kelleher spoke about the impact of empathy from today’s youth.
We concluded our all-nighter in the same way we always love to: presenting $33,832.00 to our three worthy recipients and making the announcement that we have raised $102,337.00 in our lifetime, officially crossing the $100,000 mark, and having a six-digit lifetime total. We were lucky enough to enjoy a dessert bar (ice cream sundaes & brownies) prepared by our kitchen volunteers, join together for one final dance (Cha Cha Slide!) and officially say “that’s a wrap!” to our 25-hour long marathon of fun.
To say that recovery has been cool, calm, and collected would be a huge understatement - it’s been exhausting but exhilarating at the same time! But at the end of the day, the exhaustion turned into euphoria when we heard how impactful our work would be for our recipients, and how grateful they are for our support. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who has donated, participated, volunteered, shared our posts on social media, or supported our organization in any way. We truly couldn’t do this without you. And now that the adrenaline is fading from the fun time we had, it’s time to relax (just for a few weeks!) and recharge ahead of our big plans for the future.