DONALD HUMASON JR.
WESTFIELD – Longtime Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe has been a fixture at the Hampden County House of Corrections in Ludlow for 40 years, having first been elected in 1974 and then every six years since.
Ashe announced this past winter that he will not be seeking reelection in 2016 but it is his hope that a summertime rite of passage organized by his re-election committee will go on until his final day in office.
On Aug. 20, the 37th Annual Sheriff’s Clambake will be held at the Springfield Elks Lodge #61 on 440 Tiffany St. Long considered the highlight of the political summer for Hampden County elected officials, incumbents and hopefuls, the event also attracted statewide office holders.
Elected officials from Westfield, Democrats and Republicans alike, have long been fixtures at the event.
JOHN VELIS
“I’ve been going to it for years. I first started going as an aide to Mike Knapik when he was a House member, when it was held at the Grove behind Riverside Park, then it was the Grove behind Six Flags,” said Don Humason. “Politically speaking, it’s a rite of passage each summer. It is the place to go when you’re a politician to see people and be seen by people.
“I was there last year as a candidate for State Representative, I’ve been there as a candidate for State Senate, and I’ll most likely be back again this year as a candidate for State Senate again,” said Humason.
“When you talk about being a public servant, Sheriff Ashe has just been the epitome of it,” said John Velis, a Democrat just finishing his freshman campaign in Boston who will be vying for a full term this fall. “Last year at the clambake I was a candidate, and in talking to him, I was like a little kid in a candy store. And then for him to go out of his way to endorse me and to contact people, I think the absolute world of Sheriff Ashe.
“Whoever is the next Sheriff, to say they have big shoes to fill is the understatement of the century,” he said.
MICHAEL KNAPIK
Michael Knapik, who resigned from the State Senate a year ago to accept the position of executive director of university advancement for the Westfield State University Foundation, referred to the event as the “gold standard” of political events in western Massachusetts and one of the “most significant” events in the state.
“I didn’t realize it has been 37 years. I thought I’d been doing pretty well with 20 years of Knapik family picnics at the Sons of Erin,” said Knapik. “The Sheriff has built up a long line of loyalty and expectations – you wanted to see and be seen at his picnic if you were a candidate for office.”
Knapik recollected large regional clusters that would gather at the event from municipalities all over Hampden County – from the hilltowns in the west to the urban centers of Springfield, Chicopee and Holyoke – with candidates mingling with incumbents, other candidates, and regional power brokers from near and far.
“Don (Humason) and I, year after year, would go see the Southwick folks, then go see the Chicopee people, who’d be playing poker and cards, and then see the Holyoke… You’d renew acquaintances,” he said, adding that that his former 2nd Hampden-Hampshire District, now represented by Humason in Boston, contained 10 cities and towns who were always represented at the clambake.
“In 1996, you sort of had the clash of the titans. You had Governor (William) Weld running for the United States Senate against Senator (John) Kerry. They were there at the same time, I think they even shook hands,” said Knapik, adding that Ashe, although a Democrat, has always been fair and gracious toward members of the GOP at the event. “He was very good to myself and the various Republican senators and reps, but also Governors Weld, (Paul) Cellucci, (Jane) Swift. I think Mitt Romney even showed up.”
Knapik said that Romney’s appearance at the event was key for his gubernatorial campaign in 2002.
“Everybody was curious about Mitt. There was a mystery to Governor Romney when he first ran. He wasn’t into the same retail politics as Bill Weld, who loved pressing the flesh,” he said. “Romney kind of came in as the guy who saved the Olympics in Salt Lake, and Mitt came in against Shannon O’Brien, the hometown candidate, so to say, and became the fourth Republican Governor. But there was a curiosity factor to Mitt Romney.”
Knapik, who served for two decades on Beacon Hill as a representative and senator, anticipates this year’s clambake will serve as a who’s who of candidates in the hunt for statewide office.
“The open seats – governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, attorney general – creates a highwater mark for attendance this year, particularly with the Democratic Primary coming so quickly after his event,” said Knapik. “It’ll be exciting to see who shows up and presses the flesh.”
He’s also confident that expected Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker will show up in Springfield on Aug. 20.
“Charlie was there four years ago, and people on both sides of the aisle have great respect for Charlie Baker,” said Knapik. “I think this is one of those times where the voters of Massachusetts may be looking for a change in the corner office.”
“The Sheriff attracts a lot of the traditional conservative Democrats of the region, and Charlie Baker’s political message plays well to that.” he continued. “It’ll be interesting to see who actually comes out. You’re conspicuous by absence if you don’t show up to the Sheriff’s picnic.”
The clambake will begin at 11 a.m. with clam chowder, hot dogs, and hamburgers, followed by cherrystones at 11:30 a.m., and steamers at 2:30 p.m. A steak or chicken dinner will be served at 5 p.m.
Tickets for the clambake are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (413) 737-2535 or by visiting www.sheriffmikeasheclambake.com.
