Before looking ahead to what 2023 could bring, many Franklin County residents spent New Year’s Eve celebrating what they already have.

Beginning at 6 p.m., hundreds of guests congregated inside Deerfield Academy’s dining hall for the town’s 350th Anniversary Jubilee, an evening of food, live music and recognition of Deerfield’s generational progress. Meanwhile, in Orange, others made their way around the center of town for a parade, performances and fireworks during the annual Starry Starry Night extravaganza.

Deerfield 350th Jubilee

Deerfield Academy’s dining hall looked like a proper ballroom Saturday evening. Lining the perimeter were a cash bar, two serving tables filled with food from Hillside Organic Catering and a grand stage for The O-Tones swing band. Well-dressed guests packed around 30 tables, with each seat complemented by a limited edition 350th anniversary beer courtesy of Berkshire Brewing Co.

Attendees had an hour to enjoy cocktails and a presentation of local history in the lobby before their attention was called to the stage at around 7 p.m. At this time, Beth Karas, a former New York City district attorney and TV legal analyst as well as a Deerfield native and Frontier Regional School graduate, opened the ceremony with a heartfelt anecdote.

“I graduated high school in 1975 and I recall one day, at the end of that school year, being in the center of South Deerfield and the then-superintendent of the high school, Alfred Laude, saw me on the street,” Karas said. “We chatted for a bit, and then as we parted, he said to me, ‘Don’t ever forget where you came from.’ I never forgot his words … and I returned as often as I could.”

Karas described loving Deerfield “for its rich history, for its educational institutions … (and) for its beauty” before turning the microphone over to Friends of Deerfield President and South County Senior Center Director Jennifer Remillard. Remillard echoed Karas’ admiration for what Deerfield has become, crediting its evolution to generations worth of work.

“As I stand here tonight, I wonder if my ancestors who lived here during multiple frontier settlements would ever envision our town 350 years later,” she said. “I think they would be proud.”

She then set what would be the tone for the rest of the evening: reverence for the region’s rich Indigenous history. Reaching back half a century, Remillard noted how “during the 300th celebration year, the people of Deerfield and the Abenaki people came together to facilitate friendship and peace.”

“That history is complicated, and I feel we are beginning to have enough distance to honestly reflect on that history,” Selectboard Chair Trevor McDaniel said in a subsequent address.

“As we gather here today, we recognize our presence in the homeland of the Pocumtuck people and the Nipmuc people,” said Liz Coldwind Santana-Kiser, a Chaubunagungamaug tribal historic preservation officer. “We recognize that we are temporarily on this land and we must be mindful of our impact.”

As each speaker closed out their address, they acknowledged that their work to make Deerfield a better place is not yet finished.

“In the end,” McDaniel said, “I feel that a town is its people and what they do for the common good.”

“Tonight,” Remillard said, “we continue the spirit of building communities.”

Starry Starry Night

In its return to an in-person format following two years of televised events, Starry Starry Night in Orange featured 24 shows by 12 performers in six performance venues, as well as the traditional Parade of Stars and a fireworks display.

“It gets people out of their element, enjoying what the town has to offer (and) seeing the downtown in a way they wouldn’t normally see it,” Starry Starry Night Committee Chair Crystal Parent said.

Stationed at the Orange Town Hall performance venue, Starry Starry Night Committee volunteers Jeanette and Jim McIntosh relished the intergenerational appeal of the festival.

“You’ve got the crew that has no children, like our age that is enjoying Evenspeak’s great music of the ’80s, and then you have the reggae, which kind of blends everybody, and then there’s so much stuff for the kids,” Jeanette McIntosh said. “That’s always just so terrific.”

“You can get done with the different acts and then there’s a parade,” Jim McIntosh added. “Then, the fireworks are at 10:30 and you can be home before the ball drops.”

The night was extremely well-attended, the pair added, noting that most venues filled up to the point where there was “standing room only.”

“I really like the few moments that I get to … talk to the people around and see how much fun they’re having,” Parent said. “It makes it worth all this. It’s a lot of work.”

“This was my first time volunteering and it was a thrill for me to see so many families with young children,” volunteer and longtime Starry Starry Night attendee Debbie Allain-Thomas added. “I just feel it’s very appropriate for very young children all the way up to teenagers that are cool enough to hang out with their parents. I think that was very special.”

The Starry Starry Night Committee is seeking more volunteers for next year’s event. Those interested in helping are encouraged to contact Parent by email at orp.starrystarrynight@gmail.com.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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