http://www.carlisleohd.org/ (click here for the newly revamped website with great photos – definitely capture the feel of OHD)
Good morning all – this year’s Old Home Day in Carlisle was a bit cold and damp with occasional showers, but definitely not rained out. Old Home Day is a traditional celebration in some of the smaller New England towns and was created as a way for families to get together and celebrate Independence but also recognize the realities of life – that a lot of folks feel tied to the town they grew up in, but don’t live there any longer. So Old Home Day is offset from the 4th of July and allows people to celebrate the 4th where they live, but still come Home to “their” town. An excerpt of the history of Carlisle’s Old Home Day (researched by Al Peckham) is below – taken from the Old Home Day website
ORIGINS OF OLD HOME DAY
Researched and written by Al PeckhamAt the annual town meeting 85 years ago, on February 1, 1909, Article 15, “To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of one hundred dollars for Old Home Week and to appoint an Old Home Week Committee to act thereon.” The article failed to pass.But in 1912 the first old home celebration was held for one day on July 31, 1912, according to Ruth Wilkins Hollis’ record, “It was a beautiful summer day, with the Town Flag flying on the Common and the Soldiers’ Monument in the Square decorated with flags and flowers.”
That was 82 years ago. The next year a Carlisle Old Home Day Association was formed. Held annually until 1915, the fifth event was held four years later after World War I on September 1, 1919, including a reception for Carlisle soldiers and sailors returning from war service. The parade that day included most of the twenty World War I veterans and a few Civil War veterans. …..
If you do a Google search on Old Home Day you get smattering of town events and some hits for Old Home Week. Carlisle is definitely in a select few who have a celebration like this. I personally think it is a LOT of fun
This year, like every year, there are lots and lots of kids and many kid events – we saw a portable rope bridge, live music and the traditional midway. I got a very good cheeseburger and chips from the Boy Scouts (a very efficiently run BBQ setup – well done guys!) and when we got there, things were winding down.
My parents both entered art work in the Art/Craft show and my Dad won the Best In Show prize – HUZZAH !! This is actually a pretty big achievement considering the quality of work on display in the amatuer categories and the really, really talented professional artists who had pieces there (including Maris Platais – who is amazing and internationally known https://www.mysticseaport.org/artists/platais-maris/ ) I have two pieces by Maris and they are really nice. We had a celebratory clinking of the glasses during juice and cookie time before dinner – ha!
My Dad’s show winner is a large wood sculpture carved in Elm wood – left over from tree’s that died due to Dutch Elm Disease. As related to me, this was his first large sculpture attempt and I remember as a very little kid the care and effort that went into the final smoothing of the wood using tool steel scrapers. He also entered in a bronze and stone sculpture and a polished walnut sculpture – both of which demonstrate mathematical topology concepts
My Mom entered several quilted wall hangings which are great as well. As of a month or so ago, my Mom has sold every piece of fabric art that was displayed at the Carlisle Artisans – a double HUZZAH !!
A memorable Old Home Day for sure and good times had by all