Londonderry News

Once in a while, I need to do the Chairman Chronicles for Old Home Day.  This year is one of those years.  It was a pleasure once again to serve with such great people and volunteers who work tirelessly, with no fanfare, to make sure that everything works and goes without a hitch.  We hope that this was accomplished this year, and without further eloquence, here is the five-day event in a “Nutfield” – sorry, in a nutshell.  Get it?

Wednesday night was a first in the 20 years of running OHD, and it worked out perfectly.  The senior barbeque at the Lions was such a success and the Concert on the Common, with the Beach Boy tribute band All Summer Long, was groovy.  Cathy Blash, the Town’s Senior Center Director, planned and presented a perfect evening.  She coordinated purchasing the food, flowers, and all of the special upgrades to make this a fun event for our seniors in the community. They loved it and the laughter flowed.  You nailed it Cathy.

Thank you to LPD. They served the food to our seniors along with Senator Sharon Carson and Town Manager Kevin Smith.  To the Londonderry Police Department, YOU ROCKED OLD HOME DAY.  Thank you so much for your service and commitment to the community you serve.

And thanks to Stephen and Julie Lee.   They came up with an idea of taking Concerts on the Common through Old Home Day.  With less volunteers over the years, the committee jumped on it.  Could anyone ask for a better end to senior night?

Thursday night, the Kidz had their fun.  Bounce houses, wild animals, local PTA’s, clowns and so much more.  Once again Dan Lekas planned the event, and he did a great job.  Dan does his work behind the scenes, much like everyone else on the committee.  He cares about the community and wants everyone to just have a good time.  Some of the best pictures we get that night are of children and families crossing the street and heading over to the Lions parking lot.  Those beautiful shiny red trucks put such a smile on every child’s face, and the parents too. It just makes you feel like home.  Londonderry Fire, thanks for all you do and all of the hard work you put in for the entire weekend.  YOU ROCK, and the new firehouse is striking and befitting of the department and Londonderry.

Friday dawns and the weather has cooperated.   The Londonderry Police and Fire versus the Derry Police and Fire softball game is a hit.  LONDONDERRY WINS! Manchuka plays to a large crowd and the fireworks are just awesome. I can’t remember ever saying, “I can’t believe I’m actually getting tired of watching fireworks.”  The finale just blew us away.  If you left early to beat the traffic – mistake, big mistake.  Thanks to the ground crew from the school district.  You guys just quietly do your job.  We still think you should have turned on the irrigation system on the field to move the youth along so you could have gotten home earlier.

Saturday, at the crack of dawn, the committee is at work for the big day.  Thanks to Kristen Ducharme for putting all that work into the baby contest so Londonderry could crown our new Little Miss and Little Master.  Did you know that the baby contest has been around for over 25 years? Before the committee took the tradition over, it was run by the Women’s Club.  When they no longer wanted to do it, OHD felt it could not be lost.  Members of the committee stepped in and it has been under OHD ever since.  We were going to end it one year but the outcry from the community stopped that decision.

The parade.  The history of the many volunteers that have run the parade.  Hard work to the core.  Thankful for everyone that took the task on.  There is only a handful of us.  Maybe we should come up with a patch?   No one can understand unless they have done it.  Great parade and so thankful for seven bands this year.  The best part was three out of the seven were from our local high school rivals. Londonderry, we are always proud, but you’ve got some competition coming your way.  Bedford and Pinkerton band directors are both graduates of the Londonderry Lancer Music program.   What a living legacy to the retired leader of the band.

We did have a few politicians.  Only problem was Bill DeBlasio was supposed to have his own spot in the parade.  He changed has mind and decided to march with the Democrat contingent.  The parade organizers had no idea that this had happened.  When his security detail didn’t move, they got an earful.  A dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. You’ve entered Londonderry Old Home Day Parade.  All worked out in the end, and it gave us the best laugh of the day.

The parade ends.  Weather still cooperating.  And what to my wandering eyes should appear? A Fire Chief waiting for the Police Chief to show up for the Strong Man contest.  For a while there, we thought it might be a forfeit.  However, Chief Hart showed up and did we get a show.  Chief O’Brien, our money was on you all along. But nobody expected what Councilor Butler would do.  Jim Butler, the strongman of Londonderry!

The mystery of the empty time capsule still riddles us all. I think it was Colonel Pillsbury (Civil War Fame) and Miss Peabody Row, with a pipe, in the Derry Public Library. Nobody has a “clue” what happened there.  It was stored in the library sometime after being sealed in 1969. Did you know that Clue, the board game, is 70 years old this year?

The events on the common, wildlife encounters and of course our champion BINGO caller, Bob Ciarletta.  Mary Wing Soars with Sings.  Just everyone on the committee you are all special people.  Without you this great event would not happen.

Thanks to Londonderry Lancer, John Mortimer and Millennium Running for putting together a new tradition at Old Home Day.  The Boot Scootin’ Boogie 5K and Brewfest was a new high energy event to close out Saturday, and Old Home Day. It rocked!

On a final note, we could probably find a quote from someone with a much more eloquent tongue.  However, all of us are really happy with how it all turned out. We don’t know if it was the intention of the article published in a local newspaper to hurt Old Home Day or to be helpful.   Consequently, it did do something positive and amazing.  It brought a community that, through the daily hassles of life, cell phones, play dates, back to school, and anything else in between, made us all realize that we have a common goal.  Be happy; life is good in Londonderry.  No matter what you think or as hokey as it looks – Old Home Day is Londonderry.  It is the single most binding event for over 120 years in this community.

As the chairman, I do not speak for any member on the committee.  However, I do appreciate everything they do. The giving of their time. The volunteers that show up year after year.  The organizations that participate and care about the event as much as we do.

Londonderry, it was a blast!  See you next year!

And from Mr. Reed Paige Clark III – Carry On.