Londonderry Old Home Day

Thanks to all the volunteers who gave of their time to support the 107^th Old Home Day Celebration here in Londonderry, NH. We are grateful to our sponsors and all the business that donated goods and services to make our hometown celebration special.

I would personally like to thank Kathy Morse and Pat Slozak for their hard work in organizing the parade. That is a very difficult task during a political year. I would like to thank all of our Old Home Day Staff.

Without your help this event would not be possible. Very special thanks go out to Troy Brown and Al Baldasaro who help Reed every year in marking all of the booths for Old Home Day. I would also like to say thank you to our Fire Department. They are a wonderful group of individuals. Our department hangs the banner and decorates the bandstand each year, never complains and takes in all in stride. They also donate the gator to the event. We are truly blessed as a community to have these individuals as our firefighters. Without the help of the police Old Home Day could not take place. Their assistance with the fireworks and the parade in managing all of those people is greatly appreciated. Whenever we needed anything we called our finest, they never questioned, they responded, and made this event truly fun.

Sincerely, Kathy Wagner, Old Home Day Chair

Due to the Rains Last night.  The Londonderry Town Common has about 1/2 inch of water in some spots.  The Concert Sponsered by the Old Home Day Committee and the Londonderry Clergy has moved to to St. Judes Church near the corner of Litchfield and Mamoth Road (Rt 128).

Londonderry Fire Department celebrates its win over the police in the softball game.

 

 

Hank Peterson, Grand Marshall of the OHD parade, wears his banner with pride. 

Hank Peterson, Grand Marshall of the OHD parade, wears his banner with pride. 

 

 

And they’re off! Start of the Lundgren 5K road race. 

 

 

An estimated 3,000 folks turned out for the concert and fireworks display Friday night. Everyone hoped for perfect weather, and they weren’t disappointed.

 

 

 

Londonderry familes turned out in droves on a beautiful night to watch the Old Home Days fireworks display.

 

 

Fireworks fans were treated to a rock concert featuring the ageless Souled Out.

 

 

Here, some more Londonderry young folks enjoy the excitement of a rock concert before the fireworks display.

 

 

Young Sean and Alex got a chance to show some dance moves while they enjoyed the excitement!

 

 

Police and Fire Softball Game Matthew Thornton Field 5:30 – 7:00 pm

Concert on The Front Lawn of the High School Featuring “Souled Out” 7:00 – 8:30 pm

Fireworks 8:30

Thursday, August 17, 2006 night marked the 5th annual Kidz Night on the Londonderry town common.  An estimated 2,000 people attended the event.  With beautiful weather and plenty of food and fun, a great time was had by all.
The local elementary PTAs and children’s businesses planned free activities for the kids, keeping in line with the minimal cost agenda;  there was face painting, tattoos, relay races, sandy candy, sensory tables, and much, much more. 

Children were greeted by balloon artist clowns,  Miss Londonderry, Batman, Blitz from the Manchester Wolves and Wildlife Encounters.  They were able to climb into a fire engine and police cruiser or bounce in the moon walks or giant slide!
After working up an appetite, families had plenty of food to choose from.  Hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, nachos, pretzels, and popcorn brought smiles to hungry faces.

And speaking of smiles, the entertainment was fabulous!  The Londonderry Dance Academy wow’d the crowd with upbeat hip-hop performances, The House of the Samurai martial arts techniques were perfectly executed, our Fairy Princess and Prince Charming delighted the crowd with a skit and songs, and Steve Thomas brought the world of magic to the crowd!

The OHD committee would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped make this night a success.

The celebration promises to provide some good old-fashioned fun for past and present residents of all ages. Events and activities such as band concerts, a kids’ night, fireworks, a parade, a 5-kilometer road race, a baby contest, pony rides, children’s games and a family-orientated atmosphere makes this a special hometown celebration.

• Click HERE for the Nashua Telegraph story by Kathleen Gilday

 The volunteer committee has been planning Londonderry’s 107th celebration since September 2005. The event attracts more than 10,000 people. The ever-growing popularity has seen the event grow from a one-day celebration.

• Click HERE for this story

 

• NHToDo event listings HERE

The event promises to provide some good old-fashioned fun for all ages. The event kicks off with our Senior concert on Wednesday, Thursday is Kidz Night, Friday are the fireworks and an outdoor Concert, Saturday is the big day with a 5k road race, baby contest, one of the largest parades in New Hampshire..

• From WMUR click HERE

…and family-oriented atmosphere makes this a special hometown celebration.

• Click HERE for NewHampshire.com

Londonderry – Old Home Day in 1955 was a straightforward affair. Needless to say, Batman never made it.

“The exhibit of antiques and flowers at the Grange Hall and the tour of Londonderry will take place Saturday, August 27, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.,” one press account reads.

The next day, there was a townwide church service at 10:45 a.m., followed by a potluck lunch. Cold drinks provided, bring your own table service.

Originally conceived in 1899 by then-Gov. Frank Rollins, Old Home Day was created to encourage those who had moved out of New Hampshire to return home and renew friendships with former neighbors.

Since its modest beginnings, Old Home Day in Londonderry has since evolved into a nearly weeklong celebration that, while still encompassing tradition, now takes on a contemporary sheen.

• Click HERE for the rest of a great story by Todd Morrison of the Union Leader

This year’s celebration also honors resident Hank Peterson, the longtime maple sugar and syrup producer, who will take his place of honor as the Old Home Day Grand Marshal for 2006′s parade, set for Saturday.

The Derry News honors Londonderry’s longtime tradition of bringing its community together and offers a special pull-out supplement with Old Home Day information, booth listing, schedule of events, and everything our readers need to know about Old Home Day.

• Click HERE for the Derry News artical by Julie Huss (note these articles expire in about a week)

LONDONDERRY – Tonight’s barbecue and concert for seniors opens the five-day festivities for the 107th Old Home Day. The barbecue is at 5:30 p.m. at Lions Pavilion on Mammoth Road, and the concert is on the Common at 7 p.m.

• Click HERE for the story by Suzanne Laurent of the Eagle Tribune

Events like Old Home Day help market a town and its civic organizations, but they also set the stage for residents to meet their neighbors, organizers say.

• Click HERE for the Story by Shelley J. Thompson of the Eagle Tribune

LONDONDERRY – The kickoff to Old Home Day is just two days away, but a familiar part of the pre-celebration is still missing from town.

• Click HERE for the artical by Rebecca Correa in the Eagle Tribune

There was a huge turnout at Kidz Night.

Look at these happy youngsters!

 

Here is Miss Londonderry, Cara Silva, with her young admirers.      

 

On Wednesday afternoon, about 80 seniors enjoyed a wonderful barbecue at the Lions Hall. “The food is fantastic!” said Chet Ham. Many people complimented the Lions, who manned the grill, producing delicious hot dogs and hamburgers.

Lots of smiling faces were seen when the ice cream truck pulled up to serve treats. If you want to have fun, hang out with this crowd!

         

After the meal, many seniors strolled across Mammoth Rd. to a wonderful concert by the Windham Swing Band. Lots of families also attended the concert on a lovely summer evening.

 

  

 

The following is the official booth layout for Saturday on the Londonderry Common

Click HERE for a booth map in PDF format

Click HERE for the booth map in JPG format

Tuesday was a busy day on the common, you would think something special was going to happen…

 The grass was mowed, the firemen, (my favorite kind of men) put up the “lost, but now its found” bunting.  Shady Hill made the Bandstand a little more shady (make that a lot more) and ImageAbility popped in with posters and displays.

By the way the posters and displays show the $1000 sponsors, very little room left this year!  If you get a chance say thank you for supporting our great community Londonderry, New Hampshire.

The list of all the sponsors can be found HERE

OHD answer Pup

Senior Night

Kidz Night

Softball Game, Family Concert, Fireworks

Saturday Events

Sunday Concert

The Londonderry Clergy Association will host  “A Day of Gratitude” concert in conjunction with the Town of Londonderry Old Home Day celebration. The free concert to be held at 3:00 on August 20^th at the Londonderry Town Common will feature Jackie Cox, a Texas native and award winning country western singer/songwriter of Christian and inspirational music. The musical tribute will be a celebration of gratitude for the numerous volunteers, public safety personnel and all the many individuals who make Londonderry such a special community. Joining Cox will be Penny Ferreira, Jocelyn Perez and the New Worship Band from the Londonderry Church of the Nazarene. 

Cox has been Influenced by some of the greatest artist’s of our time such as James Taylor, Neil Diamond, Jim Croce and Allen Jackson. His songs reflect a heartfelt uncompromising message of Hope. His unique and acclaimed vocal style, complimented with a professional progressive Country sound, touches the hearts of audiences of all ages. His music and videos are being aired on Radio and Television Stations across the USA and overseas.

Cox received the 2005 Nashville Power Source Music Award, the 2005 CCMA Outstanding Achievement award, was nominated for the 2005 CCMA Male Vocalist of the Year and named the 2004 ACMA Artist of the Year just to name a few of the many awards and nominations he has received. Some of his award winning songs includes “I Love You Son”; “Golden Fiddle”, “Devil in My Rearview” and “Thank You’s Not Enough” recorded in honor of the men and women who serve our nation.

Cox will also be featured at a free concert at 7:00 on Saturday August 19th at St. Jude Roman Catholic Church, 435 Mammoth Road in Londonderry. The concert will be dedicated to all the men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces. Joining Cox at St. Jude will be Jimmy Leheoux, a well known and highly acclaimed country western artist from Manchester, Zach Bencal of Londonderry and Penny Ferreira.

 

 

Blitz from the Manchester Wolves will be on the common on Thursday, August 17th from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Click HERE for the Manchester Wolves website.