Main Street came alive over the weekend as Francestown hosted its 108th Labor Day Celebration, bringing music, parade floats and decades-old community traditions to the historic town center.
The three-day festival, organized by the Francestown Improvement and Historical Society, serves as the town’s primary annual fundraiser and largest civic gathering. Proceeds from the weekend directly fund the nonprofit society’s preservation projects throughout the year.
“Since 1917, the Labor Day celebration has been Francestown’s biggest town-wide celebration, where everyone comes together to enjoy a day of events, activities, food and entertainment,” said Charles Pyle, president and curator of the society. “The highlight every year is our parade. But the day is only made possible by all the volunteers who set up and staff everything that goes on.”
The tradition originated during World War I when the town’s Village Improvement Society hosted a Red Cross Carnival to raise $600 for “comfort bags” shipped to troops in France. Renamed the Victory Carnival in 1919, the event has run continuously ever since, with its only cancellation occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Over its century-plus run, the festivities have made room for memorable local lore, including in 1955 when resident Barbara Prest Cowart joined the parade as Lady Godiva, riding horseback in a skin-colored bodysuit.
Monday’s events kicked off with the Francestown Five Road Race, featuring a 5-mile run, a 5K run and walk, and a kids’ fun run. Volunteers staffed booths throughout the day across the town center. The Horse Sheds hosted vendors selling baked goods, plants and white elephant goods alongside a country kitchen dishing up burgers and hot dogs. Down the road, Town Hall held a first-floor rummage sale and a second-floor tag sale.
Visitors gathered on the Common for children’s games organized by the Francestown PTO, live music from New Hampshire folk and bluegrass duo The Lion Sisters, and an interactive exhibit by Morphs and Milestones, a local reptile rehabilitation nonprofit. Food and drink options spanned from a country cafe set between the Heritage Museum and the Beehive to a beer tent operating beside the Old Meeting House.
The festival’s centerpiece parade stepped off onto Main Street at 2 p.m., marching toward the Town Hall lawn. Led by the Temple Town Band—a parade staple since the 1980s—the procession featured matching uniforms, brass instruments and elaborate community floats.
For many residents, building a float remains a cherished generational milestone. Jessica Quinn, who grew up on Main Street, recalled building award-winning floats with her family and neighbors around themes ranging from Peter Pan to an old-time pool parlor.
The celebration wrapped up late Monday afternoon following a 3 p.m. concert by the Temple Town Band on the Common, where organizers announced the parade prize winners and drew the winning tickets for the annual raffle.
