SOUTHAMPTON — The town of Southampton welcomes all to the celebration of its 250th birthday this Saturday, where residents of all ages can relish in live music, free ice cream and cupcakes.
The celebration — on the town’s Aug. 23 birthday — will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at Conant Park, 233 College Highway. Visitors can enjoy the free ice cream courtesy of Ice Cream Emergency and partake in one of the 250 cupcakes made by volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis. While enjoying the treats, visitors can relax while listening to live jazz and blues played by the local Buddy McEarns Band. For those without a sweet tooth, La Veracruzana will host a food truck with meals for purchase.
“It’s just a fun occasion to come out, relax in the park with music and enjoy the outdoors,” said Select Board Chair Christine Fowles.
Fowles is on the planning committee for the 250th anniversary, which came together earlier this year to plan events for the occasion. Organizing members figured that a quarter of a millennium cannot be celebrated in one day, and planned a yearlong celebration with events every month.
“We’re trying to do a variety of things. Maybe everybody can’t celebrate and attend every event but we hope there’s a little something for everyone,” Fowles said.
The town gathered at the First Congregational Church in January to kick off the celebration by acknowledging its Native American origins, and ringing the church bell 250 times. Previous events included a hike to the summit of Pomeroy Mountain and on the Szczypta Conservation Farm, a pancake breakfast, a cardboard box sledding derby, and a softball game between the town’s Police and Fire Departments.
The town also held a concert in June hosting the band King Kountry and another in July hosting Barry Searle and The Time Stretchers band.
“In her usual style Chris Fowles took this thing by the reins and got this thing started,” Doric Dods, a lifelong Southampton resident, said about the planning.
Fowles, born and raised in Southampton, has seen the town grow in some ways but also keep the familiar rural town feel it has always had.
“This town has been around for quite a while and its been growing and expanding over time,” she said. “There’s still this basic agricultural character to it despite our changing facade.”
The rural town has long been known for its agricultural heritage through dairy farms and horse stables, scenic areas and hiking trails. Fowles noted that a key component of the celebration is to honor and remember that deep history of Southampton.
“I am pleased to be one of a very skinny minority of people who’ve stayed right on family property and stayed right in town,” Dods said. “I’m pleased to have had the chance to see so much occur in the town so that when other people are curious about the town’s past, I may be able to shed a little insight.”
Southampton was established as the Second Precinct of Northampton in 1741, on Nonotuck and Woronoco land, and deemed New Hampton. Twelve years after becoming a Precinct of Northampton, it became a District of Northampton, before finally adopting the name “Southampton” at a Town Meeting in 1773, and ultimately separating from Northampton in 1775.
Planned events for the remainder of the year include a talk about the West Park Cemetery on Sept. 6 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Senior Center; a presentation on the history of the burial grounds of Southampton on Sept. 25 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Edwards Public Library; and a fall festival on Oct. 25 at the Christ Community Church.
The town is still planning further events including a community play in November and bonfire at the end of the year.
Sam Ferland can be reached at sferland@gazettenet.com.