NEW SALEM — Old Home Day will celebrate “New Salem Academy: Then and Now” this year.
Old Home Day will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the center of New Salem. The plan is for it to be a New Salem Academy reunion, celebrating the academy’s long, rich history, grant-scholarship program and the legacy left by many of its former students who settled and started businesses in the Quabbin area.
This year’s Old Home Day will have all the fun of an old-fashioned, small-town summer festival, as well as academy events that will interest people who want to learn more about the history of the area and the academy. There will be all of the traditional events, including a crosscut saw competition, pony rides, live music, a giant book sale, arts, crafts and local products market, children’s activities, the Cake Walk, a barbecue lunch in the cafe, a parade and more. There will also be the traditional Firemen’s Pancake Breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m.
In addition, this year, the popular historic walks will expand to three:
9 to 10:30 a.m.: An Historic Quabbin Drive/Walk/Talk to the former village of Millington for a guided tour with Academy graduates Phyllis Hamilton Frechette, who grew up there, and Don Flye. Meet behind the Old Town Hall to car pool.
11 to 12 p.m.: An Historic Walk of the former academy buildings with Sue Cloutier. Meet in front of the Old Academy Building.
2 to 3 p.m.: A Town Forest Tree Walk with Bruce Spencer. Meet in front of the Old Academy Building.
For those wanting to learn more about the history of the New Salem Academy, the Academy Museum, with it’s wealth of historic photos and artifacts, will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Old Academy Building.
Former New Salem Academy students, and the public will gather at 1:30 p.m. in the 1794 Meetinghouse for a panel of students from several decades speaking about their experiences at the academy. Chet Lubelczyk of Hardwick will moderate the panel that will include graduates from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
Festival goers are invited to stay into the evening for a special 1794 Meetinghouse concert with the Green Sisters of Hardwick at 7:30pm.
The New Salem Arts Intensive offers picnic sandwich suppers for sale starting at 5 p.m. at the Old Academy Building. Have a picnic in New Salem at the Quabbin Reservoir overlook.
For a complete schedule of Old Home Day events, email: nsoldhomeday@gmail.com