Newtown’s Tercentennial—

A Beautiful Day For A Birthday Bash

By John Voket

From early morning reports of musket fire emanating from the high meadow and the revolutionary war encampment stationed there, to the late night rumble of one of the state’s most spectacular fireworks displays exploding across the sky high above Wasserman Way, Saturday’s centerpiece of Newtown’s Tercentennial Celebration was something to be seen as well as heard. And several thousand visitors turned out to bear witness to the nonstop festivities that centered on Fairfield Hills’ sprawling campus.

The weekend-long party actually got rolling Friday evening with a well-attended outdoor concert by the local jazz ensemble, The Bearcats. The final performance in this summer’s series was presented to several hundred music lovers by the C.H. Booth Library in cooperation with the Newtown Tercentennial Committee under a tent, which also shielded dozens of other performers and speakers during the Saturday picnic.

And indeed, the crowds came out early to enjoy the fair weather Saturday while taking in a circa 1900 vintage base ball competition between the Newtown Sandy Hooks and the Hartford Senators. Those who were not riveted by the quaint antics and energetic rivalry on the playing field drifted up to Fairfield Hills high meadow where both Revolutionary War colonials and loyalist reenactors pitched camps complete with vintage tents, costumes, cooking and farming utensils, and even a fully functioning cannon.

Throughout the day, the contingent of uniformed soldiers mustered around the picnic area occasionally firing volleys from their muskets, while their women folk cooked, knitted, and repaired clothing using centuries-old practices and paraphernalia.

By 10 am visitors in tercentennial shuttle buses mixed with antique vehicles streaming onto the campus to participate in a vintage car show that occupied the circle in front of Shelton Hall. Children either stamped or sloshed paint on their very own tercentennial banners in the craft tent, while across the road, other youngsters bounced and climbed across a wobbly array of inflatable moon walks and obstacle courses.

Some lucky or unlucky volunteers got to cool off one dunk at a time as attendees took turns tossing balls at the Dodgingtown Fire Department dunk tank target, while many others outfitted in brightly colored green shirts answered questions and directed unfamiliar visitors to the various activities spread out across the former state hospital grounds.

By late morning lines began to form at the food concessions where various town emergency service, fire, political, and service organizations offered up donuts, fried dough, popcorn, chicken, watermelon, burgers, sausage, and roast beef sandwiches along with gallons and gallons of soda and water by the bottle. All told, food service volunteers could have used even more provisions than they had trucked in earlier in the day because virtually every concession stand was sold out by late afternoon.

Saturday entertainment under the big white tent straddling the soccer fields ranged from a cappella singing groups to a magician, to blues, oldies and pop music acts that kept the crowd entertained until just before the fireworks display in the 9 o’clock hour.

While the bands played on, the Newtown-based Governor’s Horse Guard shared the field with Governor’s Foot Guard units engaged in tightly knit drill formations, and later, a much more loosely organized and motley group of Newtown Democrats and Republicans hammered away at each other on the softball diamond.

With the final hint of daylight disappearing below the western skyline, it was time for everyone’s attention to turn skyward for the spectacular tercentennial fireworks display. From sanctioned observation areas behind the Newtown Middle School, on the Reed Intermediate School grounds, and a newly mowed field off Queen Street, as well as from several outlying vantage points around town, families from across town and the region enjoyed the colorful and patriotic pyrotechnics for nearly 40 minutes.

As traffic moved out of the area in an orderly fashion, visitors were overheard excitedly recapping some of their own personal highpoints of the day while dozens of volunteers and organizers were finally able to relax after a fine job well done and obviously enjoyed by all!