Pat Bonenfant enjoys a challenge.
She enrolled in college at age 47, three decades after graduating from Pembroke Academy. She was elected to the Pembroke Select Board in 1981, becoming the first woman in town history to hold that office.
And now, after a two-yearย hiatus, the 91-year-old sparkplug, who has since moved to Dover, has emergedย as the driving force behind the return of the areaโs annualย Oldย Home Day event, which will be held Saturday morning starting at 9 a.m. and conclude with a fireworks display at dusk.
Volunteers from both sides of the Suncook River have joined hands to host one of the biggest annual events inย either Pembroke or Allenstown.
Whatโs more, Bonenfantย has been invited back to her hometown after being named grand marshal for this yearโsย Old Home Day Parade, a tribute to the work and time sheโs invested through the years to keep the all-volunteer effort alive.
She hasnโt been back to Pembroke since moving to Dover more than 10 years ago.ย
โThey called me a few weeks ago and asked how I would like to be the grand marshal in the Old Home Day Parade,โ said Bonenfant, who will ride in the lead car on Saturday. โI haveย not been to Pembroke sinceย I left. Iโll be in the car. Iโll have to wave.โ
Anyone who knows Bonenfant was not surprised when news broke that she was trying to return the town to past glory by bringing backย Old Home Day. She was forever known as an unconventional lady.
She graduated from Pembroke Academy in 1949 and dreamed of attending college. Money was tight, however.
โDad was retired from the Civil Service and my mother was a school teacher,โ Bonenfant said. โMy father said, โDonโtย even think about going to college because we donโt have theย money for it.โ โ
But once Bonenfantโs five children had graduated from high school and gone to college, she figured it was her time to spread her wings, too.
โWhen they were all out and finished,โ Bonenfant said, โI decided that it was my turn to go.โ
First, she earned her bachelorโs degree at New Hampshire College (now known as Southern New Hampshire University).ย Next, Bonenfantย got her masterโs in counseling and community development.
And 40 years ago, sensing that her town had lost its sense of community and innocence, Bonenfant ran for and won a seat on the Pembroke Select Board.
She immediately sought to bring Old Home Day back to the area after it had been dissolved decadesย before, known back then asย Pembroke Old Home Week.
โI thought it was a good idea for the townย to bring backย Old Home Day,โ Bonenfant said. โI thought it would be nice to bring everyone together, a good thing for the town. It seemed like a fun thing to do.โ
She was instantly met with skepticism, told that the town did not have the funds to support such a project.
โWeโll find the funds,โ Bonenfant remembers saying to town officials.
Volunteers, including her husband, Norman, then fanned out, seeking donations to make Bonenfantโs vision become reality.
โThey hustled,โ Bonenfant said. โThey hit local businesses and the bank, and they got enough together to pay for the parade.โ
Forty years later, COVIDย forced officials to cancel the event, in both 2020 and โ21. But with Bonenfant receiving help from countless volunteers, Pembroke Old Home Day is back.
โWhen weย did not have it for those two years, people really missed it,โ said Pat Fowler, one of the few individuals left on the original parade committee that was formed in 1981. โWeโreย excited to have it back. Itโs the biggestย event for that area. It signifiesย the end of summer.โ
People like Fowler and Bonenfant were both born and raised in Pembroke and graduated from Pembroke Academy, making them the perfect ambassadors to promote the event. Fowler still lives in town.
Since the past two Old Home Days were canceled,ย Saturday’s event marks the 40th anniversary of actually holding theย parade and festival at Memorial Field.
Also scheduled to appear is Arlene Fleury, the latestย person to receive theย Boston Post Cane as Pembrokeโs oldest living resident.
Fleury graduated fromย Pembrokeย Academyย and still lives in town. She raised 12 childrenย and, at 97 years old, she documents her daily thoughts in a Facebook log.
The day kicks off at 9 a.m. with music at the Allentown Gazebo and the Main Street stage in Suncook Village. The parade begins at 10 a.m. on School Street and will continue across the before arriving at Memorial Field.
Featured will be floats, two high school bands,ย 50 antique cars and trucks, youth sports leagues, the New Hampshire Patriot Guard motorcycle club, farm tractorsย and the Pembroke Academyย cheerleaders.
A petting zoo at Memorial Field will include sheep, ducks, goats and chickens. Work continues at the field and will continue into Sunday.
โWe have a good group of volunteers, but itโs never ย enough,โ Fowler said. โWeโre setting up tents all day long today and tomorrow and then thereโs clean-up on Sunday.
โThe final week is very hectic. There are lots of hours of work for all of us.โ