Stockbridge — Although December 10 saw bitter cold and snow flurries, the Stockbridge 250th Committee was not short on ideas for offering a warm welcome to guests during next year’s events celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary.
Chaired by Select Board member Jorja Marsden, the nine-member team—Stockbridge Police Sergeant Kirk Nichols, Stockbridge Library Curator of Museum and Archives Talya Leodari, Council on Aging Chair Katie Szwyd, Chesterwood Executive Director Miguel Rodriguez, Susan Price, Susan Kreeger, Teresa Obrient, and Nancy Mills—aims to focus on the role the town played in the events leading up to the birth of U.S. history.
A January 24 program, “A Day in Revolutionary Stockbridge,” will begin the 2026 yearlong celebration, with events open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on and near the Stockbridge Library grounds. The project features a series of presentations: a quartermaster’s tent set up with a display of items that were requisitioned by the army from residents; a tavern styled at the Mission House with interpretive panels identifying its purpose; a talk given by historian Dennis Picard explaining food foraging in the 18th century; a display of cookware and place settings used at the time; a portrayal of an early owner of a tavern that eventually became the Red Lion Inn; a demonstration of sheep skirting and felting; and an appearance by Fort Ticonderoga educators who will showcase a non-firing reproduction cannon and two oxen. The last event of the day is slated to entail a talk from veterans of the Munsee Mohican tribal community who will travel from Wisconsin to detail the impact their ancestors made on the nation’s military service during the Revolutionary War.
Upcoming plans also include staging a musical, “Rebel Town,” produced by Great Barrington’s Johnny Segala, that is centered on the Boston Tea Party and slated to be performed at Monument Mountain High School. “It’s a very beautiful and inspiring play,” Szwyd said.
Speaking for Rodriguez, who was not present, Mills said his Chesterwood organization is interested in being a part of the commemorative Memorial Day parade, with a possible Minute Man statue sitting atop its float. Andrea Goodman, who rings the Children’s Chime Tower from Memorial Day to Labor Day, said those sounds will again resound throughout the town this summer from 5:30 to 6 p.m. and suggested the committee possibly highlight the musical notes at an event celebration.
Signs displaying a renowned speaker relevant to the Revolutionary War and that individual’s notable quote are anticipated to be erected around Stockbridge to “capture the spirit of the time,” Obrien said. “Here in Stockbridge, we’re all about celebrating the 250th,” she said.
A “passport” will provide attendees with a commemorative keepsake of the year’s events, with an opportunity for stamps to be earned at each activity to “tie together all of the events at a high level,” Price explained, adding that the first U.S. passport was issued in Massachusetts.
Given the venture’s $25,000 budget, Marsden said efforts may be needed to go back to the Select Board for additional funds to bring all of its projects to fruition.
Although the group continues to make progress, a January meeting will confirm the budget, plans, and dates, with an eye toward drafting an event logo.
