At this year’s Blowout on August 13, three-year-old Isabella Ferreira happily danced on top of a cooler as a rock band performed just a few steps away at the Holy Ghost Grounds on Allen Neck Road.

The Blowout traces back to 1970s, and has become a Dartmouth tradition for helping local families, including Ferreira. However, this year was the last Blowout because volunteers—many of whom have participated since the Blowout's birth—are getting worn down from spending several months at a time planning and preparing, said Janine Simmons, a spokesperson for the event.

Isabella is the daughter of Ryan Ferreira, a lifelong Dartmouth resident who served as a volunteer Dartmouth firefighter and a full-time firefighter in Walpole. He passed away as a result of a medical emergency on April 25 while off-duty. Now, his family will be one of the last to receive proceeds from the annual event. Leticia Melo, Ryan’s girlfriend, looked at her daughter and said she hopes to use the funds from the Blowout to help put Isabella through college.

“I was really surprised by all the community is doing for us,” Melo said. “I think it’s awesome, I have no words. It’s amazing. I really do appreciate what everyone is doing.”

“We all knew Ryan Ferreira. He was a really good guy,” said Jeff Costa, who has served Dartmouth Fire District No. 1 for the past 24 years, most recently as a Prudential Committee member.

Elsewhere at the Blowout, the family of DJ Bishop was enjoying the event as well. The family was also chosen to be a recipient of this year’s Blowout fundraiser. In May, DJ suffered a fractured neck and a spinal cord injury resulting in paralysis after the 22-year-old dove into a shallow lake.

Sue Bishop, DJ’s mother, said the funds the family receives will be used to help pay for DJ’s medical bills. She said there are some costs that insurance does not cover, and the money will go a long way to helping DJ recover. DJ is still at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, but Sue said he should be returning home in about a month.

“It’s a great community event,” said John Haran, one of the organizers of the event. “It gives people a chance to see friends they haven’t seen all year, and the food can’t be beat.”

This year, the Blowout featured a number of activities, including 10 hours of live music, fresh seafood, burgers, and desserts, a rock climbing wall, face painting, and an opportunity for the hundreds of attendees to enjoy a summer night with the community.

The Blowout traces back to 1977, when a group of Dartmouth residents decided to host an end of summer party. By the 1980s, organizers discovered that they had money left after the party, which they donated to various charitable organizations. The tradition subsided through most of the 1990s, but was resurrected in 2001 with a mission, to raise money for a local person or family in need every year.