Volunteers and town staff in Francestown are gearing up for the town’s 250th anniversary event.
The event will start at 1 p.m. June 25 and include a parade, carnival, beer and wine tent, pig roast dinner and a dance.
Planning for the semiquincentennial celebration started in 2019. Preparations were halted by COVID-19, but committees resumed last July and have been meeting every two weeks since. Town Administrator Jamie Pike has been spearheading the event, but said help from volunteers has been integral.
“It has been a huge team effort,” Pike said.
With the exception of Pike, all committee members are volunteers. Taking on a project of this size is beyond the typical scope of what a town administrator does, Pike said, and pulling off the event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the community.
One such volunteer is Priscilla Martin, the town historian, who has taken charge of planning a near-month-long, history-themed scavenger hunt as part of the celebration. The questions will be released June 3, and all answers will be due June 23. There will be prizes for all who participate. Martin’s desire to work on this project is sparked by an affinity for Francestown history, as well as inspiration from the Wilton Old Home Days Festival, which has included a similar scavenger hunt in years past.
“My family goes back into the 1800s in Francestown, so I love history and I love genealogy,” said Martin, who looks forward to sharing this passion through the scavenger hunt and encourages residents of all ages to participate.
Pike noted that the high number of volunteers involved in the event’s planning speaks to the nature of the Francestown community. He recalled a volunteer appreciation dinner that the town held in 2018, for which the guest of list of residents who had contributed significant volunteer hours included more than 10% of Francestown’s population. He said the large number of volunteers is part of the reason why the committees worked to make the event as low-cost and accessible as possible. The events will be mostly free, with the exception of a $5 fee for the pig roast dinner.
“We’ve had some very generous donors,” Pike said.
Town Meeting voted in March 2020 to commit $10,000 to the event. Beyond that, the town has relied on donations and product sales, spending the last few months selling anniversary-themed license plates, T-shirts, mugs, suncatchers and more to help raise the necessary funds.
“We’ve got a great town here that’s full of great people,” Pike said.