Barnstead Old Home Day
Barnstead Old Home Day is just around the corner, Saturday, August 25, 2007 at the Barnstead Parade Grounds. This year's theme is "Horse and Carriage". We have a full day of activities planned.
Start the day with a Pancake Breakfast served by the Pittsfield Rotary Club. Breakfast is served under the Rotary tent, starting at 8:00 a.m.
The 5K Road Race starts right at the Parade Grounds and runs down Parade Route to Route 126 and then back to the Parade Grounds. Registration for the race begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Parade Fire Station. This flat and fast race course is very popular with area runners; the race draws well over 100 racers each year. Following the road race, a Fun Run will be held for the younger kids right on the Parade Grounds at 10:00 a.m.
Get in the spirit of this year's Old Home Day by purchasing raffle tickets and Old Home Day merchandise at the tables under the raffle tent. This year's raffle prizes are a high definition HDMI DVD player and a kayak and paddle. The raffle will be drawn at the bandstand at 6:00 p.m on Old Home Day. Winner need not be present to win. Old Home Day merchandise available for purchase includes the horse and carriage theme T-shirt and Barnstead Old Home Day bandanas.
The Old Home Day Auction begins promptly at 10:00 a.m. under the auction tent. Auction items are available for viewing before the auction begins. Once again, we are privileged to have George Twigg, as auctioneer for our event. Each year we have a wide variety of quality items, crafts and services available for bidding. Come see what good buy you can get!
When you are viewing the auction items, make sure you look for the display of winning entries from the first annual Old Home Day Art and Photography Contest. Artists and photographers of all ages will have the opportunity to submit their work for the competition at the Barnstead Oscar Foss Memorial Library on August 16 from 5 - 8 p.m., August 17 from 2 - 5 p.m. and August 18 from 9 - 11 a.m. All entries will be displayed in the Library the week prior to Old Home Day. Winning entries will be displayed in the raffle tent on Old Home Day.
Starting at 10:30 a.m., a number of community organizations will be on hand to provide food and wares for purchase. The Barnstead Historical Society will provide a display of items from their collection that support this year's theme. The Fiber and Fabric Crafts tent will provide demonstration of domestic crafts and will have alpacas on display for viewing. A Farrier will demonstrate the fine art of shoeing horses and the kids get a horseshoe of their own to take home.
Kids Games also start at 10:30 a.m. A Bounce House will be available for the youngsters to work off a little energy. Beauty Hill Disc Golf will be demonstrating their game and giving kids and adults alike the opportunity to try their hand at the game. Wagon Rides will be provided in a horse drawn wagon around the neighborhood of Barnstead Parade. All activities are free of charge!
At 11:00 a.m., the Cakewalk will begin. The Cake walk is a lot of fun and draws a lot of contestants. For an entry fee of one dollar, contestants walk around a circle of numbered frisbees. When the music stops, each contestant stands beside the closest frisbee. A number is drawn from a basket and the person standing next to the correct frisbee gets to take home their choice from a table laden with a rich assortment of baked goods. A sweet treat, indeed!
The Barnstead Highway Crew sponsors the Horseshoe Throwing Contest each year at Old Home Day. Warm-ups begin at 10:30 a.m. and the contest starts at 11:00 a.m. A cash prize is awarded to the winner of the horseshoe throwing contest.
This year's Old Home Day theme is "Horse and Carriage". At 12:00 noon, a parade of horses and carriages will arrive to the Parade Grounds from Hartshorn Road. The carriages will set up around Parade Circle for viewing by the public. Come select your favorite for our "People's Choice" award.
Two excellent childrens entertainers will provide performances that will tickle children and adults, alike. At 1:00 p.m., DoubleVision will present "Mixed Nuts", a performance of physical comedy, circus illusion, mime, story and song. At 2:00 p.m., Barnstead's own Hampstead Players will present "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe", a charming tale about four children on a fantastical journey to a mystical land called Narnia. We are deeply grateful to the Hampstead Players for donating this performance to Old Home Day. Both performances will be under the auction tent.
This year's Canoe and Kayak Race is the largest, ever, for Old Home Day. Over 30 boats are expected to be entered into the race. Registration for the Canoe and Kayak takes place at the launch location behind the Barnstead Police Station from 12:00 noon to 1:45 p.m. The race itself begins at 2:00 p.m. The race is 2.25 miles and runs from the launch area on the Big River to the Suncook River and finished just upstream from the Parade dam.
Also at 2:00 p.m. is a Walking Tour of Barnstead Parade with our own John Cotton. Barnstead Parade is a lively historical neighborhood. John Cotton has lived in the Parade for most of his life and knows as much about the area and its history as anyone. The walking tour will include the history of the homes and buildings, historical pictures, stories about the past and present residents of the area, and many tales from John's youth in the Parade. If you have never taken John's Walking Tour, you are in for a treat!
Barnstead's Citizen of the Year will be named at 2:45 p.m. on Old Home Day from the bandstand and a plaque will be awarded to this year's recipient. Come learn who has been selected for the 2007 Citizen of the Year.
The very popular Blueberry Baking Contest will be judged by a panel of Barnstead town employees, starting at 3:00 p.m. With so many wonderful cooks in our town, the judges will have their work cut out for them!
The Field of Foam will be created at the Parade Fire Station by the members of Barnstead Fire-Rescue, Inc. at 3:00 p.m. This event is wildly popular with the kids who enjoy wading through a thick layer of foam rolling out across the lawn of the station. Afterwards, the kids can get cleaned up under a cool stream from a fire hose. Come join the fun!
New this year is the first annual Youth Talent Show. Local youths under the age of 18 will sing, dance, juggle, play an instrument or otherwise entertain us for fun, prizes, and their very own 15 minutes of fame. The Youth Talent Show will begin at 4:00 p.m under the auction tent.
Starting at 4:30 p.m. and continuing until 7:30 p.m., the Barnstead Elementary Schools Parent Teacher Association will serve a Chicken Barbecue Dinner at the Parade Fire Station. Come satisfy your appetite after a long day of Old Home Day activities!
From 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., the band Decades will perform in the last of the 2007 Parks and Recreation Departments Summer Concert Series. Decades is an energetic group that plays a wide variety of 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's oldies and rock 'n roll music. As a band suitable for audiences having a wide age-range, this group is a perfect selection to play at Old Home Day.
Following the band concert, Old Home Day will conclude with a spectacular FIREWORKS display that will shoot into the air high above the Parade Grounds. A perfect ending to a perfect day!
As you can see, we plan to have a wide range of fun activities for your enjoyment. For more information regarding the day, go to the town of Barnstead's website at www.barnstead.org/About Barnstead/Old Home Day.