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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.

Hingham's 375th Anniversary Closing Event - Saturday September 11, 2010

• 1:00-3:30 pm Vintage Baseball, Derby Academy
• 3:30-7:30 Old Fashioned Picnic at Hingham Harbor
• 3:30-5:15 Welcome and Hingham Militia Salute
  The Satuit Band
  Activities for children
  Elmo
  Races & Prizes
  Face Painting
  Tug of War (teens only)
  New Maps by Hingham Land Conservation Trust, free
  Raffle, free
  Used eye glasses collected for charity, Lions Club
  
• 4:20 Town Commemoration of 375th Anniversary
  
• 5:20 The Rusty Skippers Band
  
• 6:20 Hingham’s 375th Choir
  
• 6:40 Anniversary Tributes by Government Officials
  
• 7:00 September 11, 2001 POLICE AND FIRE HONOR GUARD
  1,000 Candles and tolling of bell in remembrance
  
• 7:30 Anniversary Year ends with Community in Song

Barbeque by the Rotary Club of Hingham and Hull throughout the event.

Rain date 9/12.

July to September 2010: The Twentieth Century

• Friday, July 2: Free concert of patriotic music in honor of our nation and Hingham's 375 years, given by the Hingham 375th Anniversary Choir directed by Dr. Paul Cappers, at the Harbor bandstand prior to the annual fireworks display.
  
  
• 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: “Evenings Under the Stars” at the South Shore Conservatory, Hingham native Nicholas Palmer conducts the Evenings Under the Stars festival orchestra in a celebration of the Conservatory’s 40th anniversary, 7 p.m.
  
  
• Thursday, July 15 (new date): A Garden Promenade at Linden Ponds. Enjoy a leisurely mid-summer afternoon with lemonade and music as you enhance your knowledge of both common and unusual plantings presented by the Linden Ponds Garden Clubs. Free. 1pm - 3pm
  
  
• Saturday, July 17: “Evenings Under the Stars” at the South Shore Conservatory, New Black Eagle Jazz band, 7 p.m.
  
  
• 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: “Evenings Under the Stars” at the South Shore Conservatory, Amanda Carr and the Kenny Hadley Big Band in a salute to Hingham’s 375th anniversary, 7 p.m.
  
  
• Sunday, July 25: South Shore Conservatory, Opera by the Bay presents Seymour Barab’s Cinderella, a family concert at 10 a.m.
  
  
• Saturday, July 31: “Evenings Under the Stars” at the South Shore Conservatory, Black Sea Salsa, 7 p.m.
  
  
• 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:“Evenings Under the Stars” at the South Shore Conservatory, Opera by the Bay presents “Beguiled Again: the Songs of Rodgers and Hart,” 7 p.m.
  
  
• Sunday, August 15: Remember V-J Day at Bare Cove Park - A Color Guard ceremony at 8:30am will honor WW II’s V-J Day at the Dock House on the northwest side of the Park near the Weymouth Back River. Mr. J. B. Mills, a Veteran from the WW II Depot days will say a few words to remember his buddies who lost their lives when an explosion sank the YF-415 in Massachusetts Bay on May 11, 1944, after it left the dock here. The Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot Memorabilia Display at the Dock House will be open from 9am - noon. The Dock House is located about 1/2 mi from the Beal St. gate, behind Lynch Field.
  
  
• Sunday, August 15: Take a Walk in Bare Cove Park with Dr. Greg Mertz - On the east side of the Park, Dr. Greg Mertz of The New England Wildlife Center will lead a nature walk along the Tucker’s Swamp Path. The walk will cover the geology, terrain, history, tree species, plant materials, and wildlife habitats. Walkers should wear sensible shoes, expect mosquitoes, and leave dogs at home. Meet at the Triangle Garden, near the gate at Bare Cove Park Dr. This gate is about ¾ mile from Fort Hill St, across from the West Hingham MBTA train station.
  
  Dr. Greg knows Bare Cove Park very well. You may may remember that the New England Wildlife Center first set up operations on Park property in an old Navy Depot bunker back in 1985; Dr. Greg came on board as Executive Director in 1989. Even though NEWC moved into their wonderful ‘green building’ facility in Weymouth in 2006, many of the more than 3,300 wildlife patients treated each year are still released into Bare Cove Park. For more about NEWC, visit: www.newildlife.com
  
  In the mid-late 1700’s, Tucker's Swamp was the site of 25 buildings dedicated to the cutting and drying of peat used to heat homes at the time. During both World Wars and Korea, a few Depot filling houses, magazines and storehouses dotted this area. “Tucker’s Swamp Path” was cleared of woodland debris and opened to the public in 2007.
  
  
• Saturday, August 21: A free patriotic-themed 375th anniversary concert  at the Derby Street Shoppes featuring the Danny Bolton Band from noon to 1:30 p.m. next to Whole Foods Market. Anyone who attends will receive a free “All About You” card providing exclusive savings at 26 Derby Street Shoppes retailers and restaurants valid now through November.
  
  
• Thursday, August 26: End of Summer Classic Road Race, Bare Cove Park, 6:30 p.m. Sign up by sending an email to endofsummerclassic@yahoo.com.
  
  
• Saturday, September 11:

  Saturday, September 11, Closing Event:  Vintage Baseball game, Hingham “Derbies” vs. Hingham “Coopers,” Derby Academy ball field at 1 p.m., followed by an old fashioned town-wide barbeque at the harbor from 3 p.m. till sunset  with music by the Satuit Band, the Rusty Skipper Band and the 375th Anniversary Chorus.
  
  Hamburgers and hot dogs will be prepared and sold by volunteers from the Hingham-Hull Rotary Club. (You may bring your own picnic, too, of course.) Hingham 375th anniversary commemoratives will be on sale, and the program will include remarks by dignitaries, a special closing ceremony with police and fire honor guard and the lighting of 1000 candles to honor those who died on September 11, 2001.
  
  All are welcome. (Rain date: Sunday, September 12.)
  
  
  

Previous Events

September 2009 to February 2010: The Early Period

• 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.
  

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: Concert by the Hingham Town Chorus with members of the 375th Anniversary Choir directed by Dr. Paul Cappers, performing tunes from the Revolutionary War, songs from The Southern Harmony as well as a capella renditions of American popular music such as "Never My Love" and "Time in a Bottle," and a preview of patriotic songs to be performed on the 4th of July weekend, Sanborn Auditorium, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m.
  
  
• Sunday, April 11: Atlantic Symphony chamber concert, 4 p.m., Old Ship Meeting House, 98 Main Street. In celebration of Hingham's 375th anniversary, Atlantic Symphony Chamber Players present a selection of music that spans the ages, from the time of Bach, born in 1685, to the modern day. Guest artist Michael Maganuco, second prize winner of the 2009 Bay State Concerto Competition, plays Ravel's Introduction & Allegro with String Quartet, flute & clarinet & a piece that he composed, "Awakening Stillness," for solo harp. Adults $20; seniors $15; youth through age 18 $10. Please visit the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra to purchase tickets.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Saturday, May 1, 11 a.m.: “Youth March for Freedom,” First Baptist Church, 85 Main St.
  Mr. Douglass will commemorate Hingham’s great anti-slavery rally of Aug. 1, 1844, at which Douglass and leading Abolitionists all spoke before hundreds of supporters. He will speak of his escape from slavery and the struggle for emancipation. Following his remarks, weather permitting, Mr. Douglass will lead a March for Freedom into Hingham Cemetery to the grave of Gov. John A. Andrew, Civil War governor of Massachusetts, and on to the Abraham Lincoln Statue on North Street, giving brief remarks at both locations. A light lunch at New North Church will follow. Although all are welcome to take part in this free event, a special invitation is extended to the youth of Hingham and the South Shore to participate in this evocation of a great moment in local and national history.
  
  
• Sunday, May 2, 10:30 a.m.: Mr. Douglass will give the sermon at the weekly worship service at New North Church, 1 Lincoln Street. This service is open to the entire community.
  
  
• Sunday, May 2, 3:30 p.m.: The grand finale of the weekend will be “The Spirit of Frederick Douglass,” a dynamic one-man presentation illuminating Douglass’s life and times performed in the historic sanctuary of New North Church, where Douglass’s friend and admirer Gov. John A. Andrew once was a member and owned a pew. Admission is $5.00. Doors open at 3 p.m. Tickets are available in advance at Noble’s Camera Shop, 29 Main St. Reservations may also be made by calling 781-749-2341 or visiting http://www.newnorthchurch-hingham.org. View and Print flyer for "The Spirit of Frederick Douglass"
  
  Sponsored by New North Church as its contribution to the 375th Anniversary celebration, the Frederick Douglass Weekend 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
  
  
• Saturday, May 8: Phil Swanson Photography Retrospective, opening reception, Dolphin Gallery, Hingham Public Library, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. All are welcome for this free event sponsored by the 375th Committee. Invitation for Swanson Reception
  
  
• June: Hingham High School student art exhibition, Hingham Public Library
  
  
• Friday-Saturday, June 11-12: Hingham Historical Society’s annual tour of historic Hingham homes Hingham Historical Society
  
  
• Friday-Saturday, June 11-12: 40th anniversary celebration at the Lincoln Maritime Center, Summer Street. Tall ship Liberty (125' historic replica of an 18th century clipper ship) arrives around noon at the Maritime Center wharf and will remain docked through the weekend. Friday, 7 to 11 p.m.: evening event for adults with food, music and tours of the ship. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Family Day activities, tours of the ship along with child friendly activities, music, food, and educational offerings. Saturday evening there will be dinner aboard the Liberty. Beginning Friday, May 21st, tickets for Friday and Saturday evening may be purchased at the LMC Boathouse from 5 to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9 to 11 a.m. weekends.. Full details at Lincoln Maritime website
  
  
• Saturday, June 12th: “World’s End Through History,” 10 a.m. at World’s End Reservation, Martin’s Lane. Join long-time ranger Ryland Rogers to uncover the hidden history of this amazing property. Wear long pants and appropriate footwear as you will be exploring off the path. Members: free; Non-members: $5 admission fee to the property. For information, call 781-740-7233.
  
  
• 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.
  

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