Fifty years ago, the bells of 19 Concord churches rang in unison at 2 p.m. to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
In Penacook, a three-day celebration began with historic highlights and ended with an aerial show by the Concord Fire Department.
This year, as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Concord will be celebrating its 300th. Festivities will span through the rest of June and into July, highlighting New Hampshire’s revolutionary history as part of the original 13 colonies that formed the Union.
Here’s how you can join the celebration:
The Penacook Historical Society is kicking off its Concord 300 and America 250 commemorations this weekend with HISTORY FEST from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 13th, at 11 Penacook Street in Penacook.
Centered around the 1774 house, the oldest standing house in Penacook village, the event will allow attendees to experience what life was like for early Americans through a variety of activities.
See live demonstrations and hands-on experiences of wood window restoration, traditional carpentry, hand tools, basketry, quilting, rugmaking, oil lamps and more.
Cool off by hand-washing bandanas on a washboard in a tub, then hang them to dry on a clothesline. While you wait, play historic games or check out the variety of historic buildings and antique cars and coaches that will be at the festival.
For lunch, grab a burger from the Horace Chase Lodge #72 will be hosting a BBQ at the Penacook Historical Society. For dessert, Sweet Dreamz will bring plenty of treats to enjoy, with a portion of proceeds going to the historical society.
The Nathaniel Rolfe House will be open for viewing as it’s repaired. The restorations are supported by a $5,000 grant from The 1772 Foundation, in partnership with the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance.
HISTORY FEST isn’t the only celebration happening in Penacook on Saturday. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., vendors will sell handmade goods at the Beede Marketplace Craft Fair at 88 Village Street. Head to Bittersweet Fabric on 8 Cottage St. for National Sewing Machine Day, or walk around the many parks and area historic sites.
Next weekend, on Saturday, June 20, head to N. Main Street in Concord, where the Concord Historical Society will host its Liberty & Legacy event from 1 to 6 p.m. to celebrate New Hampshire’s history of civic engagement.
The Concord Historical Society will also be at Market Days in downtown Concord from June 25-27, where kids can make crafts and play games like children would have 250 years ago. The society will finish the weekend with a live reading of the Fredrick Douglass speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” at noon on the Capital Plaza.
On July 4th, the Salisbury Historical Society will hold a reading of the Declaration of Independence at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Town Hall on Old Turnpike Road. The Declaration will be delivered on horseback to four reenactors. After the reading, the town will observe a cemetery walk to tell the stories of those buried in the town cemetery.
This article has been updated to reflect the location of the Horace Chase Lodge #72 BBQ.
