Ware’s 250^th Anniversary Celebration plans underway

Year of special events to be planned around monthly themes

WARE – The countdown is on. In just over a year from now, the town of Ware will kickoff celebrating its 250^th anniversary.

Beginning in September 2010 and running through September 2011, residents, local businesses and community groups will help mark this historic occasion with a series of activities designed to encourage pride in our town, respect for its past and hope for its future.

“We are envisioning a whole year-long celebration marked with many different types of special events,” said 250^th-Anniversary Committee Chairperson Melissa Weise. “It’s not that far away.”

The town hasn’t seen this type of celebration since its 200^th anniversary, held with much fanfare in 1961. “People still talk about some of those events,” said Weise, adding that the Anniversary Committee is using information from books, newspaper articles and residents’ personal memories of the 200^th anniversary as a guideline for the 250^th anniversary. “We’ll likely see a repeat of some of the activities from that celebration,” said Weise. “We also hope that new traditions will be established in the same flavor.”

The Anniversary Committee has already met several times. They are in the process of developing a master calendar of events and have come up with monthly themes upon which the activities will be based to help give the celebration a loose structure. “We’ve intentionally chosen themes that can be interpreted in different ways by different people,” Weise said. “We’re casting a broad net and we’re looking forward to seeing what others will come up with.”

The yearlong celebration will kick off in Sept. 2010, under the theme “Reflections of the Past.” October has been designated “Farming Roots” in honor of Ware’s agricultural history. “Ethnicity and Foods” is the theme for November. “Everyone likes to celebrate by eating,” said Weise, who added that an anniversary celebration for Ware would not be complete without acknowledging the ethnic groups who played such major roles in its development.

December’s theme is “Celebrating Families” and will tie in traditional holiday celebrations. January 2011 will be “Arts and Literature” month, featuring local authors and artists. The theme for February is “the People of Ware,” with the focus on famous and historically notable native folks. March’s theme is “Industry and Technology,” with a nod to Ware’s past as a mill town. Weise said possible events include a tie-in with our sister city, Ware, England and tours of the town’s mill buildings.

April will highlight “Nature,” May’s theme is “Salute to the Military” and the theme for June is “Sports and Education.” In July, the theme will be “Transportation,” and in August it will be “Landmarks.” The celebration will end with a bang in September 2011 under the theme, “Bridge to the Future” and possible events include a massive parade and fireworks show.

Weise said the Anniversary Committee is encouraging residents to suggest activities they would like to see take place and volunteer to help implement. “We want to encourage as much community participation as possible,” she said. “As the Anniversary Committee, we see our role as to help coordinate, advertise and promote all of the events that will be taking place.” The committee will be creating and distributing a 250^th Anniversary Celebration program listing all of the activities and events over the course of the year.

This fall, the committee will be approaching community organizations and local businesses and inviting them to sponsor events that have already been outlined or to come up with their own ideas of ways to celebrate. “People can be creative,” Weise said. “They can think outside the box. We just want to make sure that we have all of the information we need in order for events to be included in the anniversary program.”

“We are still in the early stages of planning,” said Weise. “This is the best time for people to come forward with their ideas. We’ll offer them as much support as we possibly can.” The next meeting of the 250^th Anniversary Committee will be Tuesday, Aug.11 at 7 p.m. in the Selectmen’s meeting room at Town Hall. The meetings are open to the public and anyone with an event idea or who wants to volunteer is encouraged to attend. Weise can also be contacted via the Board of Selectmen’s office at Town Hall.