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Boston Globe

The Lemonade Wars return to Marshvegas festival as its young organizer eyes big growth

Advertisement This year, with a nationally recognized headliner in the confessional folksinger Get Love Letters: The Newsletter A weekly dispatch with all the best relationship content and commentary – plus exclusive content for fans of Love Letters, Dinner With Cupid, weddings, therapy talk, and more. Enter Email Sign Up 'I'm trying to paint a picture of what we could become, and go from there,' Lauria says. He grew up in the shadow of another plucky little music festival, one that has grown into something much bigger. The Advertisement Colby Lauria was interviewed at last year's festival. HANDOUT 'The way they've been able to foster a community is incredible, from a local surf shop to a staple New England festival,' Lauria says. But he has another model in mind. 'I'm trying to aim to be the biggest family-friendly event in Massachusetts,' he says. This year's festival will feature bounce houses, mini-golf, face-painting stations, chalk zones, and stomp rocket competitions. A music lover who was a three-sport athlete in high school, Lauria got his start as a promoter at a young age. With three little brothers in the house, he was accustomed to keeping them busy by organizing activities. When a neighbor joked that he should start a day camp, he did exactly that. For four summers beginning at age 14, Lauria hosted Colby Camp, a two-week day camp in his family's backyard, with basketball, swimming, and other activities. Dozens of kids attended. His mother, Heather, 'was like the nurse on duty,' he says. She's actually a labor and delivery nurse at South Shore Hospital. For those parents of the campers 'to trust me with their third- or fourth-grader, that's a testament to the Marshfield community,' Lauria says. 'I love Marshfield. I do think this town's special.' Not that he doesn't want to see other parts of the world. During his senior year at St. Lawrence, he spent a semester on an internship in New York City. He hopes to make the city his home for the next few years. Manhattan's Lower East Side is where he first saw harf. (real name Will Harford, from Connecticut) perform at the Mercury Lounge. The singer agreed to headline Marshvegas and recommended another Connecticut act called Kids That Fly. Rounding out the bill will be two young artists from Marshfield, Elyce Hardenbergh and Kyle Fickeisen. Advertisement 'I always want to have someone from Marshfield represent,' Lauria says, 'so you can create a beacon of hope for kids who want to be an artist someday.' At St. Lawrence, he started a music appreciation club, and he got the administration to let him turn the dining hall into a nightclub for an evening. 'I loved that dining hall,' Lauria recalls. 'I'd eat there four times a day.' To date, he has financed Marshvegas with profits from the seasonal landscaping company he started. (It's called Mulcho Man.) On social media, Lauria has been documenting all the steps he has taken to create his festival, as a primer for other young people who may want to develop something similar. 'I love building excitement,' he says, 'and I love bringing people together. If I can inspire others to do the same — especially at a young age, when they're maybe a little more uncertain how to go about life — I think that's a beautiful thing.' According to Guinness, 'I think people get afraid to say they want to be great,' he says. So far, he's making great strides. James Sullivan can be reached at . James Sullivan can be reached at