DEERFIELD — Some rain on their parade didn’t stop the Deerfield community from celebrating the town’s 350th anniversary in style.
“How often do you have a 350th?” said Peter Thomas, who serves on the 350th Anniversary Committee. “Of course we came out in the rain.”
Residents marched in the two-hour, mile-long parade that spanned from Mount Sugarloaf to Frontier Regional School. Some of the parade highlights included century-old fire trucks blaring their horns, tractors and antique cars. Floats included everything from model homes on truck beds to an 18-wheeler decorated with hundreds of flowers from Tilton Library. Ten marching bands proceeded along in between the festive vehicles.
Government officials participated as well, including members of the Deerfield Selectboard in their own float, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, state Rep. Natalie Blais, state Sen. Jo Comerford, Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan and state Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle, a Deerfield native.
Some participants used Saturday’s parade to dress based on historical periods, such as several of the marching bands. Members of the South Deerfield Women’s Club dressed as suffragettes.
Thomas, a historian, remarked that the 350th anniversary is a momentous occasion, providing a chance to celebrate the town’s rich history. He pointed out that Deerfield’s history goes back beyond when it was settled by English colonists in 1673, with some archeological sites in town dating to 12,400 years ago, when the landscape would have looked more like an arctic tundra.
“Deerfield has such a long and varied history that we get to celebrate,” Thomas said.
Thomas noted that, during Deerfield’s 300th parade in 1973, the weather hit 95 degrees and EMTs assisted nearly 200 people who suffered from heat-related illnesses. By comparison, he said, this year’s rain was refreshing.
Although the Friends of Deerfield and the Recreation Department had originally planned to follow the parade with a family event at Deerfield Elementary School, that portion of festivities was canceled due to the weather and wet field conditions. Friends of Deerfield Treasurer Chris Harris said in an emailed announcement that organizers anticipate holding “the same family-fun activities at a future 350th anniversary event, likely the mid-October festival now being planned by” the town and the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA).
Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.