Again this year, sobriety draws fewer celebrants

By Suzanne C. Ryan, Globe Staff

Boston's Sober Day yesterday turned out to be a somewhat somber day instead.

For the second year in a row, the antidrug and alcohol festival attracted
fewer people than a nearby rally promoting marijuana legalization.

The Sober Day celebration at the Hatch Shell drew between 2,000 and 3,000
people who came and went yesterday afternoon, according to State Police,
and at times the crowd was sparse. The marijuana rally at the Boston Common
drew more than 40,000 visitors.

''It stinks,'' complained Richard Savickas, founder of the nonprofit
organization Sober Day: Say No To Drugs Inc.

Organizers spent a year planning for the 12th annual festival which
promotes having fun without using drugs or alcohol yet only three people
ran a threemile road race and about 70 men competed in a softball
tournament. Others watched performances by the Nancy Kelley dancers of
Natick and a onewoman Broadwaystyle show by singer and dancer Sherri Lewis.

''If I wasn't in treatment, I might be over at the hemp rally myself,''
said Robert Mendes, of East Boston. Wearing a black Tshirt with the
message ''Heroin kills rock stars dead,'' the 31yearold Mendes recalled
how four years ago he became addicted to heroin while teaching in Lowell.
''My life fell apart,'' he said. ''But now I'm in treatment. This event
provides a way for me to expand my support network.''

Danny Soucy, a recovering drug and alcohol abuser, was also looking for
support. ''I want to know that I'm not alone with this,'' said Soucy, 30,
of East Boston. ''We don't have to talk to each other about it. I just know
that your bottom is as low as mine. Drugs made life one big gray day. Now
we all share the hope of the future being clean.''

For next year, event organizers aren't sure what they'll do differently to
attract more people, other than find a new date. ''We're trying to promote
a positive attitude toward drugfree living,'' said Savickas. ''But we may
actually have to coordinate with the hemp people on that. I don't want to
compete against them. It's a waste of time.''