We were driving back home to our quiet little town of Boxborough after what was, in my opinion, the best day of summer as of yet! As we drove through Harvard, Massachusetts and approached the village green we were greeted with the unexpected!
For those of you whom have never been to Harvard, I strongly recommend it! There are history museums and landmarks almost every were! Today, as we drove past the village green we heard the sound of fife and drums! We passed a row of white canvass tents that were actually simply tarps; modern day tents have floors - these didn't.
They are held up and secured by branches ( seriously) and ropes! Their tents held the items that real civil war soldiers might have had. It was fantastic! The sound of the fife and drums sounding across the village green was super!
The camp had men, women and children all dressed in period clothing! Campfires burning as the men sat there cleaning their guns! They had formed an informal band, also in period clothing, putting on a small show; I imagine the way the men of this village would have during this time period of no radio, electricity, ...
The 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, known as the "Irish Brigade" will encamp on the Harvard Common. These "living historians" will recreate life within the regiment during their 1864 campaign.
The re-dedication of the Harvard Civil War Memorial Monument on the Common Saturday, June 7, 10 a.m. Pay your respects to the monument and honor Harvard’s Civil War Veterans. The ceremony will feature ractors from the 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Kristin McManus will conduct the ceremony with Bromfield history teacher and town resident Kevin Foster as the featured speaker. Rev. Greg Schmidt of the Congregational Church will provide a blessing.
Such is life in the state of Massachusetts! To those that claim that America has no culture - guess again! I wished I had know about this event sooner! It was great!
But there is one event that is quickly approaching and it is also worth the trip! The 2014 Boxborough Fifer’s Day celebration will take place on Saturday June 21 at Flerra Field.
The 2014 Boxborough Fifer’s Day celebration begins at 9:30 a.m. with the Fifer’s Four Mile Road Race. This is followed by a parade from the Blanchard School to Flerra Field at 11 a.m. and then presentation of the Golden Fife Award. The Fair will commence at noon and include food and barbecue, including a vegetarian option, children’s games and activities, volley ball tournament, tug-of-war tournament, donut eating contest, karate demonstrations, booths representing Town organizations, and a craft fair. There will be band music throughout the afternoon. For more information or to sign up for a non-profit booth, craft booth, Road Race or Volleyball visit www.fifersday.org.
