Londonderry Old Home Day

Kidz Night is scheduled for Thursday August 19 at 5:30-8:30 PM.  Come on over to the Londonderry Common with your kids or grandkids!

Kids – come ready to bounce at the many bounce houses, meet enchanted characters and Miss Londonderry, face paint, take part in sack races, and more!  If you are reading, this beg your parents or grandparents to take you to Kidz Night!

Clowns with Balloon Animals

Liz Neville & Family Enjoy Themselves

Winnie the Pooh with a Friend

Kidz Night is appropriate entertainment for families with children 10 and under.

Kidz Enjoy the Roaming Railroad

—Mary Tetreau
Kid At Heart

Old Home Day kicks off this year with the Senior Barbecue at 5-6 PM on Wednesday, August 18.  The barbecue is held at the Lions Hall Pavilion on Mammoth Road in Londonderry, NH, across from the Town Common. You need a ticket for this event and you must be a senior citizen to attend. The Lions cook up a fantastic meal and good fun is had by all. The seniors have a raucous good time and are usually the rowdiest crowd of the 5-day Old Home Day celebration!

Seniors Enjoy the Cookout

For tickets, call 432-8810.

This event is followed by a fantastic concert by the Windham Swing Band at 6:30 PM on the Town Common. Folks of all ages may attend the concert, and it is an exceptionally good one! One of the highlights of the Old Home Day celebration.

Windham Swing Band

The band concert is open to the young and the young at heart!

Mary Tetreau
Old Home Day Blogger

This year’s Grand Marshal is Carol Mack, best known as Principal of Matthew Thornton School.  Many of you may know her as “Mrs. Mack.”

What does this mean?  Carol gets to ride in a special convertible at the Parade, which kicks off Saturday 8/21 at 10:30 a.m.  Get there early to get a good spot to watch the parade and to cheer Carol on!

How was Carol chosen?  Members of the Old Home Day Committee hold a secret election each year for the Grand Marshal.  Many worthy Londonderry residents are nominated.  When the votes were counted, Carol came out on top!  Congratulations, Carol – Londonderry is very proud of you!

Mary Tetreau
OHD Blogger

Saturday’s events kicked off with the 5K road race at 8 AM.

Battling it out to the finish line

Soaring high in the sky

The giant Re/Max balloon provided great rides for guests of all ages. What a thrill!

Proceeds from the Re/Max balloon rides went to support the Londonderry Grange.

Governor John Lynch Meets Gracie (4)

John Bringhurst at Revolutionary War Encampment at Morrison House

John Bringhurst poses by swivel gun

Colonial Lady Spins Yarn

Man Lights Fire at Encampment

Best Dancers Jeffrey Santiago and Friend

Relaxing before the fireworks

Calli, Jessica & Angela Matarazzo Show Off their Glo-Stick Necklaces

Oooooh!

Aaaaah!

Ooooh!

Mary Tetreau
Fireworks Fan

Bragging rights go to Londonderry’s Finest as the Police beat the Firefighters 6-5 in the annual softball game.

This is the 4th year in a row that the police have won! Count ‘em – 4, that’s 1, 2, 3, 4!

It’s a big trophy and I know the police will be showing it off in the Old Home Day parade, which starts at 10:30 AM on Saturday Aug 15. Be there or be square!

Mary Tetreau
Blog Queen

LONDONDERRY — Principal of the Year — twice. Proud Yankee fan. Leader of the 2008 New Hampshire School of the Year. Well, now Jim Elefante can add another title to his list. Elefante, who retired after 26 years with the Londonderry School District, will be Grand Marshal for the 110th Old Home Day Parade on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Bubble gum and baseball caps. Pigs and pies. Yankees and elephants.

“School is there for the kids,” Elefante said upon his retirement last year.

“You can have fun and learn at the same time. We all perform better when we’re confident and happy in our environment.”

So, when he came to be the principal at the high school in 2004, Elefante decided…

Read the rest of the story in the Derry News by Suzanne Laurent “Elefante is this year’s grand marshal“

The Lions served up a wonderful barbecue for seniors on Wednesday night.

A crowd of more than 200 seniors enjoyed the food.

Surprise guests Governor John Lynch and Minnie Mouse delighted these kids, and met and mingled with the seniors.

The Windham Swing band pleased folks young and old with their delightful music.

Singer Danielle Green performed “What a Wonderful World” to great applause.

Earlier in the evening, these Lions walked the tent over to the Londonderry High School.

Event Chair Carole Connolly has moved the event indoors to the LHS Cafe.  Both the dinner and the Windham Swing Band will be inside.  Looks like we will find out if a dance floor on the Londonderry Town Common is in order.

The question is now with a hard floor, will the Seniors and others attending “get up and cut a rug?”

Wednesday, August 12th, at 5:00pm-6:00pm sharp the Senior Night Barbecue is in the Londonderry High School Cafe. Although the Barbecue is free, you must have a ticket the event is sold out with nearly 200 obtaining tickets.

Following the Barbecue, the Senior Concert will also be in the cafe featuring the Windham Swing Band from 6:30-8:30pm. Our special volunteer “DJ”, John Robinson, will be entertaining Londonderry both prior to the Concert and during the break (as well as live recording on the local radio station).

The Concert is open to Everyone!

With temps in the 60’s and a light fog burning off in the early morning air the Old Home Day Lundgren 5K race had 348 participants complete the course this morning. As the runners pass through the timing gate near the Grange 44 on Mammoth Road they enter a tight line down to a point where Lancer Timing takes the barcode from the tag providing instant results courtesy Lancer Timing.

Visit “Lundgren 5K Old Home Day Race Results 2008” at Londonderry Hometown Online News to view the results table.

On Kidz Night, clowns delighted children by making them balloon animals.

The Applestock teen concert rocked the common Saturday night. Bands were chosen by Londonderry High School students. Over 300 people enjoyed the concert!

Geeks in Jeans had an outstanding lead singer. Members of this band will be entering the high school in the fall.

This solo drummer wowed the crowd with his skill!

These guitar players were terrific.

Mary Tetreau
OHD Photographer
Rock On!

The road race started at 8 am prompt…and off they go!

At the baby contest, there were many adorable babies.

Anthony shows off his Red Sox allegiance.

These wonderful clowns come to OHD every year.

Mary Tetreau
OHD Photographer

What a ball!  And some fans and some streamers, and some happy faces too!   To view some of Fridays fireworks visit “Fabulous Fireworks Finished” at Londonderry Hometown Online News.  Be sure to click on the darkroom link to see the entire show!

Be sure to thank volunteer chairperson Mary Wing Soares when you see her for a great selection on the vendor and a super night even with the light rain.  What a great time!