This story has been updated to reflect a change in location of the Horribles Parade.
Months in the making, the plan to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is signed, sealed and set to be delivered on Sunday, Aug 2.
The Mendon Cultural Council has been working with the Parks and Historical commissions, the Mendon Historical Society, the Lions Club and the Mendon Brothers of the Brush to schedule a day that showcases the town’s history and celebrates the nation’s founding. Here’s a look at the day’s plans:
Town Center, 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Mendon history trolley tours leave from the Clough School at 12:30 and 1:30 with local historians Rich Schofield and Richard Grady serving as guides. If you didn’t reserve a ticket, you’re out of luck; both tours are fully booked.
However, no reservations are required for the living history exhibit at the Ammidon Tavern on Main Street. Volunteers have been spending weeks preparing the 1745 building for the event. Three rooms, including the kitchen and tavern area will be staffed by local historians in colonial garb debating the issues of the day. You’ll learn about the Ammidon family and their contributions to the American Revolution, see historical memorabilia and watch a slide show on the tavern’s history.
Down the street, Town Hall will be open with historical artifacts on display, including a copy of the Mendon Resolutions and Declaration of Independence and the town’s weights and measures.
3-4:15 p.m.
The 56 residents who volunteered to sign a copy of the Declaration of Independence will gather at the Ammidon Tavern and, accompanied by a fife and drum corps and led by a town crier, will walk to Town Hall to sign the document. A rider on horseback will carry the parchment off for delivery.
Memorial Park, 6 p.m.
The Horribles Parade, rescheduled from July 3 due to scorching temperatures that day, will kick off from the back parking lot near Grant Field and end at the basketball park where awards and contest winners will be announced.
6:30-9 p.m.
The celebration continues at Memorial Park with food trucks, lawn games and music by the Blackstone Community Band followed by D.J. Ray Auger spinning the tunes.
A highlight of the festivities will be the pillory, that instrument of public humiliation from our Puritan past. Nominate a friend (or frenemy), family member or local celebrity for a turn in the stocks. Don’t forget to grab a photo for future blackmail purposes. If you’re wrestling with a guilty conscience, lock yourself up. You can buy your freedom with a donation to the Mendon Food Pantry or the Mendon Historical Society.
The day’s festivities will be capped with a fireworks display, courtesy of Kevin Meehan of Imperial Cars.
Parking for the evening’s activities will be on North Avenue across from Clough School, with bus transportation to and from Memorial Park from 5:30-10 p.m. Festival-goers are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food donation for the Mendon Food Pantry.
All events will run as scheduled in the event of rain with the exception of the fireworks, which would be delayed until Aug. 16.
Cultural Council Chair Joanne LaMothe, who spearheaded the celebration, said it’s been gratifying to collaborate with other organizations and committees on the celebrations and she’s looking forward to seeing Mendon come together to commemorate 250 years of the Declaration of Independence.
“I hope everyone has a great time, that they all enjoy themselves and think about how far we’ve come in history,” she said.
Photo top of page: Mendon’s copy of the Declaration of Independence will be on display on the upper level of Town Hall Sunday, Aug. 2. (Martin Luttrell)
