By TORY DENIS
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BELLOWS FALLS and ROCKINGHAM, Vt. — Great Falls Regional Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Doreen Stoodley has a poster from 1990, given to her by Jesi Amsden. Amsden had found the vintage poster at Cota & Cota, a family-owned local heating company. On it was a dapper gentleman and a lady in Victorian dress and hat, looking ready to go to a fair.
The poster declares that the Rockingham Old Home Days on Aug. 4, 1990 would offer Vermont’s Largest Fireworks Display, a “certified championship” old-time fiddler’s contest, a pilgrimage and speaker at the Rockingham Meetinghouse, a train excursion, a children’s carnival, and more.
Twenty-eight years later, plans are as lively as ever, with a jam-packed weekend of events scheduled for the 42nd Rockingham Old Home Days on Saturday, Aug. 4 at The Waypoint Center in Bellows Falls. This will be the 42nd year with fireworks, Stoodley said, and the 112th year making a pilgrimage to the Rockingham Meetinghouse.
“Why we have Rockingham Old Home Days is because of the Pilgrimage up at the Rockingham Meeting House,” Stoodley said. “People kind of forget that.”
Last year it rained, “but we didn’t do too bad,” Stoodley said. This year, if the weather holds out — and considering all the buzz she has seen on social media about the event — she is expecting turnout to be in the thousands.
Stoodley said that Old Home Days used to be a three-day event with fireworks, fiddlers, and simple activities. Now, while the main Old Home Day organized by the Chamber is on Saturday, “It’s still kind of a three-day event,” she said. Multiple separate activities will also take place nearby throughout the weekend, put on by local businesses and organizations on Aug. 3, 4, and 5 in downtown Bellows Falls and Rockingham.
Friday events include an ice cream social from 4 to 8 p.m. at the United Church of Bellows Falls, Farmers’ Market from 4 to 7 p.m. at Hetty Green Park, a First Friday Supper from 5 to 7 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, and the Rockingham Recreation Center Carnival from 6 to 9 p.m.
Local businesses also plan to hold sidewalk sales in The Square over the weekend.
On Saturday at the Waypoint Center, organizers have planned a day full of activities with a dunk tank from 1 to 5 p.m., face-painting, an Athens Pizza pizza-eating contest at 12:30, a Dairy Joy ice cream-eating contest at 1 p.m., at a visit from Deb Monroe with Diamond the Goat, Nimble Arts Circus Performers from noon to 7 p.m., Cheryl the Clown making an appearance from 2 to 5 p.m., the Vermont National Guard Inflatable Baseball Toss, and multiple other games and events.
Admission at the Waypoint Center is free all day Saturday, Aug. 4 with family-friendly events from noon to 10 p.m., though some events may have a fee to take part, such as the Roaming Railroad and tickets for the bounce house.
This year, returning food vendors will include Athens Pizza, who has been at Old Home Days for 30 years, and the man known as “R.J.,” who used to own a small restaurant across from the Shall Station in Bellows Falls, and who has been making food at the event in his food truck for at least the past 25 years, Stoodley said. Taste of Thai has also taken part for several years.
Stoodley said people come from all over the map to be in the area for Old Home Days. The fried dough vendor travels each year from Florida, and will be here this year with his grandson, who has a fresh lemonade stand.
Visitors often come home to Rockingham and Bellows Falls especially for the event.
“This brings in a lot of people,” she said.
Special events on Saturday also include karaoke on the main stage, and performances by Java Jazz, a local Bellows Falls jazz band, and local Vermont band RUST, featuring band members Josh Parker, Shamus Martin and Kam McIntyre. The American Truck Society Green Mountain Chapter of Vermont’s Antique Truck Show will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bellows Falls Union High School; the Roaming Railroad, and the Green Mountain Fireworks Train, which “brings people in for the fireworks,” Stoodley said.
The Rockingham Old Home Days “Bring It Home” 5K, hosted by the Bellows Falls Rotary, will be at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 4 as a fundraiser for the GFRCOC and the Fireworks Fund, Stoodley said.
On Sunday, all are welcome to take part in the Rockingham Meeting House Pilgrimage, a celebration of music, food, and history. This will be the 112th celebration of the Pilgrimage at the Meeting House. David Deacon will present “I’ll sing to you the good old day: History and Memory in Vermont’s Folk Song.
The annual pilgrimage to the Old Rockingham Meeting House is an event overseen each year by Dr. John Leppman to the historic building originally used as both a church and meeting house. The event will include a musical program on the history of Vermont are scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5 in Bellows Falls.
A barbecue and refreshments will be available at noon on Sunday. All are welcome to make the pilgrimage to the landmark, which is more than 230 years old. The building was restored and rededicated in 1907, and each year since, a pilgrimage continues with an annual program of historic or cultural interest presented by the nonprofit Rockingham Meeting House Association.
Stoodley said that she was appreciative of the many businesses and sponsors from Vermont and New Hampshire who are helping to support the event this year.
She is also reaching out to people who may have old photos of past Old Home Days, asking them to upload their photos to the Facebook event page.
Organizers are still seeking volunteers to help with Old Home Days. Volunteers who put in more than four hours of time will receive special hats and sunglasses. High school students can earn community service time by volunteering, she said.
This Saturday calls for a partial chance of rain, and possibly clearing in the evening. The event will go on rain or shine, Stoodley said.
For a full schedule of events, or to volunteer, contact Stoodley at [email protected]. Events will also be posted at the Old Home Days page on Facebook.
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