The town of Pomfret will be celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2013. To commemorate this event, the town is hosting a year-long series of happenings starting September 22, 2012 at Positively Pomfret Day. An annual community celebration for more than 15 years, Positively Pomfret Day includes vendor and organization booths, kid’s games and entertainment. This year will also include the display of the Pomfret Tercentennial Quilt and sale of raffle tickets. Over 40 Pomfret residents labored for many months creating this handmade work of art to commemorate the town’s 300th anniversary. The quilt will be raffled off in May 2013 at the annual Town Meeting.
The next kick-off event will be a FREE U.S. Coast Guard Dixieland Jazz Band concert on Sunday, September 23 at 3PM at the Hyde School auditorium. This outstanding instrumental group has played on stages worldwide and will entertain folks of all ages with classic jazz, blues and New Orleans style ragtime music. Admission is free but guests are asked to bring a packaged food item to donate to a local food bank. Free tickets will be offered first to Pomfret residents until September 1, then open to the general public and can be picked up at Pomfret Town Hall. Information on tickets is available in this issue of the Pomfret Times.
Other events on Pomfret’s year-long agenda include those listed here. Stay tuned for more details about these events as the dates get closer:
• October: Several different tours of Pomfret in conjunction with the Last Green Valley’s Walktober event (listed elsewhere in this issue of the Pomfret Times). Pomfret Library will host Characters from Colonial CT, October 25th, a program for grades 4-6.
• November: A talk by State Archaeologist Nick Bellantoni about Pomfret’s Aboriginal population. Pomfret Library will host a talk, The History of Jury Duty, Thurs. Nov. 1st.
• December: Pomfret is honored as Grand Marshall of Putnam’s Holiday Dazzle Light Parade. Pomfret Library will exhibit a history of Pomfret’s Nativity Play throughout the month.
• January: A skating party
• February: An exhibit of the Tercentennial Quilt at CT Audubon Center and raffle ticket sales. Pomfret Library presents a program on CT Women’s Suffrage, Thurs, Feb 7th. Dawn Adiletta presents a quilt display at CT Audubon Center on Sunday, Feb 17th. Abington Social Library hosts fireside readings of the mysteries of Roger Scarlet.
• March: An exhibit of art by Pomfret residents at the Vanilla Bean Café. Pomfret Library will exhibit the work of Beatrice Stevens and Gregg Wiggins, with a talk by Nancy Weiss on March 14th at 7PM. Pomfret Library presents A Civil War Doubleheader on Saturday, March 23 with role playing actors.
• April: A historical talk at the Old Town House by Ken Ebbitt about Israel Putnam.
• May: Pomfret’s Tercentennial postmark will be used by the town Post Offices. The annual Town Meeting will be held on date of the Town’s incorporation and the Tercentennial Quilt will be presented and raffled off.
• June: The Lion’s Club will host a formal dinner dance at Pomfret School.
• September: Positively Pomfret Day
• November: The Association for the Study of CT History will present a talk on slavery in Pomfret
For more information on any of the Pomfret 300 Events, contact Walter Hinchman at 860-928-3355, whinchman@gmail.com, Maureen Nicholson at 860-214-9755, maureen.nicholson@pomfretct.org , or Bev Champany at 860-974 -1202.