Hingham Massachusetts: Town Government & Services - Committees: 375th Anniversary Committee

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Hingham 375th Anniversary Committee

Committees: Hingham 375th Anniversary Committee

Hingham 375th Anniversary Celebration Schedule

The year that follows will be split into three segments, illustrating major periods in local history. Though some dates and details are not yet fully confirmed, the schedule currently includes the events listed below. Please check this website and local newspapers for details and contact information as the time approaches.

March to June 2010: The Nineteenth Century

March-June: A historical “Quest” taking participants on self-guided tours of sites of historical importance in 19th century Hingham. Quest book and map available at Noble’s Camera Shop, 29 Main Street, starting March 1.
April: Month-long “timeline” display by the Hingham-Hull Religious Leaders Association, Hingham Public Library
Friday, April 9: Hingham Choir directed by Dr. Paul Cappers, free concert of patriotic songs, Sanborn Auditorium, Town Hall
Sunday, April 11: Music for all eras from the Atlantic Symphony Chamber Orchestra at Old Ship Church.
Sunday, April 18: An illustrated lecture at 3 p.m. at the Hingham Public library by Irene Kane on Melville Gardens, the Victorian amusement park once located on Crow Point
April: Derby Academy student art exhibition, Hingham Public Library
April: Old Colony Montessori School student art exhibition, Hingham Public Library
April 24, 25, 30, May 1, 2: "Little Women," Broadway’s new musical based on Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel. Presented by the Hingham Civic Music Theater. Town Hall, $16/$14.
April or May (date TBD): “Faith open houses” at Hingham’s houses of worship
May: An exhibition of classic Hingham photographs by the late Philip Swanson at the Hingham Public Library
May: South School student art exhibition, Hingham Public Library
Saturday-Sunday, May 1-2, Frederick Douglass Weekend: the great Abolitionist, who visited Hingham repeatedly in the 19th-century, makes a triumphant return. Portrayed by the internationally-renowned Douglass interpreter Michael E. Crutcher Sr., Mr. Douglass will take part in a series of events around town (full details to be announced later) culminating Sunday, May 2, at 3:30 p.m. with “The Spirit of Frederick Douglass,” a dynamic one-man performance at New North Church, 1 Lincoln Street. Sponsored by New North Church, this program is supported in part by a grant from the Hingham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
May 3-6:“Books in Bloom,” an exhibition by the Hingham Garden Club at the Hingham Public Library
June: Hingham Middle School student art exhibition, Hingham Public Library
June: Hingham High School student art exhibition, Hingham Public Library
Monday, June 21, 7 pm: Showing of the Civil War movie, “The Red Badge of Courage,” at the library
Wednesday, June 23, 7 p.m.: Showing of the movie, “Glory,” about the African-American soldiers who served in Civil War in the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment founded by Gov. John A. Andrew of Hingham, at the library
Saturday, June 26: A Civil War encampment with re-enactors of the 22nd Massachusetts infantry and the 1st Massachusetts cavalry at Old Ship Church and in the Hingham Cemetery, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be displays of Civil War memorabilia as well as demonstrations of wartime medicine, cooking, etc., and a gun salute to Hingham’s Civil War veterans and at Gov. Andrew’s monument are planned. This program is supported in part by grants from the Hingham Cultural Council and the Norwell Cultural Council, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

July to September 2010: The Twentieth Century

Sunday, July 4: The annual Independence Day parade will be dedicated this year to the town’s 375th anniversary
Sunday, July 4: Vintage Baseball game, Hingham “Derbies” vs. Hingham “Coopers,” Derby Academy ball field, Burditt Avenue, 3 p.m.
July 4 weekend: A 375th Chorus and Sing-Along at Hingham Bathing Beach under the direction of Dr. Paul Cappers
Saturday, July 10: “Evening Under the Stars” 375th concert series at the South Shore Conservatory, Hingham native Nicholas Palmer conducts the Evening Under the Stars festival orchestra
Saturday, July 17: “Evening Under the Stars” 375th concert series at the South Shore Conservatory, Amanda Carr and her big band
Saturday, July 24: “History of Fire Fighting in Hingham,” an open house at the Fire Museum in Bare Cove Park. Free admission.
Saturday, July 24: “Evening Under the Stars” 375th concert series at the South Shore Conservatory, New Black Eagle Jazz band
Saturday, July 31: “Evening Under the Stars” 375th concert series at the South Shore Conservatory, program TBD
July 24 & Aug. 15: Tours of Bare Cove Park Wildlife Sanctuary featuring the role of the Hingham Ammunition Depot in the two Worlds Wars and the Korean Conflict plus efforts to restore the land to its natural state following military use
Saturday, August 7: “Evening Under the Stars” 375th concert series at the South Shore Conservatory, Opera by the Bay presents some greatest hits of musical theater
Wednesday, August 18: Westminster Abbey Ringers will play a peal from the Hingham Memorial Bell Tower next to Old Ship Church, morning.
August (date TBD): A 20th-century classic film in an outdoor setting at the Derby Street Shoppes
August (date TBD): Demonstrations of how to plant and grow a World War II-style “Victory Garden” at Linden Ponds. Free admission.
Saturday, September 11: Vintage Baseball game, Hingham “Derbies” vs. Hingham “Coopers,” Derby Academy ball field, Burditt Avenue, 2 p.m.
Sept. (date TBD): A town-wide culminating event to celebrate the 375th anniversary of Hingham’s incorporation as a town – and to honor the people who have shaped nearly four centuries of Hingham history

Previous Events

September 2009 to February 2010: The Early Period downtown

Saturday, Oct. 3:
Celebration tour of historic Hingham Cemetery, Oct. 3, 1:00 p.m. Meet at Bell Tower next to Old Ship Church, 107 Main St.
Rain date, Sun, Oct. 4. $5 donation requested, children under 12 free.
Saturday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m.:
One-woman play by Donna Milani Luther portraying the life of Madam Sarah Derby, Derby Academy, Burditt Avenue. Reception follows.
Oct. 1-31:
“Picturing Hingham's Past," an exhibition of paintings of old postcard photos by watercolor artists of Linden Ponds. PAC Exhibition Gallery, Derby Clubhouse, Linden Ponds.
Saturday, Oct. 17: “Colonial Times at Derby Street,” a colonial harvest market at the Derby Street Shoppes
Sunday, October 18:
Hingham Downtown Arts Walk, noon to 5 p.m., sponsored by the Hingham Downtown Association, with local artists opening their studios to the public and special exhibits in many downtown shops. In conjunction with the Arts Walk, there will be traditional textile craft demonstrations including spinning, weaving, and quilting at the Out of the Ordinary gift shop at Old Derby , along with a display of historic textiles from the Hingham Historical Society collection.
Sunday November 8:
Service of Thanksgiving at St. John’s Church, a recreation of the commemorative service held at the National Cathedral at the end of World War I in 1918
Saturday November 14:
Gala costume ball with period music, dancing demonstration and instruction, grand march, refreshments, at the Old Ship Parish House, 8 to 11 p.m. Advance tickets required. Tickets are $75 per person or $125 per couple and are on sale at Noble’s, Petite Maison, and The Historical Society (Old Derby).
(Among the sources for period costumes is Family Kloset at 394 Court Street in Plymouth. Phone: (508) 746-8926.)
Saturday November. 21:
Hingham 375th Anniversary commemorative items will be on sale as part of the Hingham Holiday Boutique at St. John’s Church, 172 Main St.
Saturday December 5, 2009:
Lecture, 2:00 p.m., at the Hingham Public Library on early American gravestone carvings by Professor Vincent Luti, UMass-Dartmouth, who has written books and articles on the subject and is closely connected to the Association of Gravestone Studies. This replaces the cemetery tour cancelled on October 24th due to rain. The lecture is funded by the Hingham Cultural Council.
Saturday January 23, 2010: Old Ship Meeting House, 7 p.m. – “A Tribute to Hingham’s Early Settlers, Their Descendents and Those Who are Preserving Historic Homes and Buildings from the Early Settlement to the Colonial Period" - a film by Jeff Spencer will tell the story of the colonists who established the town and whose sons and grandsons built a meeting house that still stands today. Reception immediately following in the Old Ship Parish House, 107 Main St. The Friends of the Old Ship Meeting House invite you to display pictures and artifacts from your historic home or family in the Parish House; for information or to arrange a display, contact oldshipfriends@gmail.com or call the Old Ship office (781-749-1679).
Saturday February. 6, 2010: Traditional Lincoln Day observances will feature a talk at 11 a.m. at Old Ship Church by Professor David Mattern of the University of Virginia, author of books on Abraham Lincoln. The talk will be preceded by gun salutes in Hingham Cemetery by the Hingham Militia at the grave of Benjamin Lincoln and by a Civil War unit at Governor Andrew’s statue. After the talk, there will be a military procession to Fountain Square to lay wreaths and fire a salute at the Abraham Lincoln statue and the Benjamin Lincoln stone marker. A reception at the Hingham Community Center follows.

Civic groups are welcome to add their own 375th events to the year-long calendar. Let the committee know your plans by Contacting Us.