On Nov. 20, eight courthouses across the Commonwealth will celebrate the adoptions of roughly 200 children who have been in state foster care. The events mark the Commonwealth's 7th annual National Adoption Day festivities.

The children being adopted range in age from infants to teenagers. Individual children will be adopted as well as some sibling groups. The families adopting these youngsters live throughout Massachusetts - from Pittsfield to Dorchester, Newburyport to Chatham, and dozens of towns in between.

Some adopting families were related to the children before adoption, like the aunt adopting her 6-year-old niece in Hadley. Many others met their new children after they began the state's training to adopt a child from foster care - some first learned about their new child through their social worker, and others through the services of the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE). Some met at a MARE Adoption Party, while others were drawn to their new child's photo on the MARE website or Photolisting Book.

The National Adoption Day celebrations feature opening ceremonies in each courthouse with remarks by judges, other dignitaries, and some of the adopting families, as well as musical performances and other entertainment. Committees of court personnel, Massachusetts Department of Children & Families (DCF) and MARE staff have arranged for every child being adopted to receive a gift bag of toys, games, stuffed animals, gift certificates and more with items donated by local businesses and friends. National Adoption Day is sponsored by the Massachusetts Court Improvement Program, a federally-funded program administered by the Supreme Judicial Court.

National Adoption Day ceremonies in Massachusetts will take place at the following courthouses:

• Cambridge, Middlesex County Juvenile Court
  
• Boston, Edward W. Brooke Courthouse
  
• Brockton, George N. Covett Courthouse
  
• Hadley, Franklin/Hampshire Juvenile Court
  
• Pittsfield, Berkshire Juvenile Court
  
• Salem, Essex County Juvenile Court
  
• Springfield, Hampden County Juvenile Court
  
• Worcester, Worcester Trial Court
  

After the opening ceremonies, the formal adoption ceremonies begin. Judges and adopting parents will sign the official adoption certificates, and the children will have the chance to bang the judge's gavel to make it all official. Courts in all 50 states will also open their doors to legalize the adoptions of thousands of children from foster care and to celebrate and honor all families that adopt, marking the 10th annual nationwide National Adoption Day.