GILL — The town of Gill is celebrating its 225th birthday, and residents are ready for a year full of celebration.
Sept. 28 will mark the 225th anniversary of the 1793 incorporation of the Town of Gill, and there are multiple events scheduled to celebrate this milestone, including music events, a forest walk and river paddling.
Community building, celebrating the town’s history and having fun are the three core themes for all of the activities planned by the Gill 225 Anniversary Planning Committee.
Events for the celebration earlier this year included a New Year’s Day sing-along, a family contra dance and community ice skating at McCollum Arena.
Historical photographs around the town are now displayed on the walls of the second floor of Town Hall. This exhibit, “Around Gill Center,” opened to the public Thursday. It displays various black-and-white photographs of important Gill buildings, including the Gill Store, the Slate-Marble House and the Slate Library.
Also in April, the town plans to plant trees for Arbor Day and bury a time capsule at the Town Common on the 27th. More information will be available closer to the event.
Doug Harris, a deputy tribal historic preservation officer at the Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office will host a talk, “Let the Landscape Speak: The Importance and Meaning of Indigenous Ceremonial Landscape,” at the Riverside Municipal Building May 18 at 6 p.m.
On May 27, Gill will celebrate Memorial Day in its own way, beginning at 10 a.m. with services at the Gill Church and continuing across Main Road at the Veterans Monuments.
Gill will showcase its Town Forest trails on June 3 from 2 to 3 p.m. with “Open Forest Guided Walks and Talks.” Those wishing to experience Gill’s nature can meet at the kiosk on Hoe Shop Road to explore the trails.
The Slate Library will host a communitywide conversation, “Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Past, Present, and Future,” to allow residents to discuss community needs and how to best meet neighbors’ needs in the future on June 23. Refreshments will be served, and Gill Anniversary Committee member Kim Sprankle can arrange transportation if needed. She can be contacted at 413-863-2975 or ksprankle84@comcast.net. The event lasts from 10 a.m. until noon.
A Natural Music School has funded “A Natural Concert Band,” to play on the Gill Common June 26 at 7 p.m. If it’s raining, the concert will be held at the United Church of Bernardston.
Gill’s own music festival and retreat site Antenna Cloud Farm will host a community event July 7 to commemorate the 225th anniversary. A picnic and anniversary celebration will be held at 5:30, and an outdoor concert and reception featuring bluegrass musicians Chris Brashear and Jim Watson will begin at 7 p.m.
Watson’s father was born in Gill, and Brashear is from Amherst. Both musicians are accomplished multi-instrumentalists, singers and songwriters.
Another concert, “Pat and Tex LaMountain Quartet” will be held on the Gill Common July 10 at 7 p.m., also funded by A Natural Music School. This time, if rained out, the concert will be held at the Gill Church.
July 21 will bring the Gillbilly Paddle on the Connecticut River. Canoes, kayaks, rowing shells and other boats will be launched at a not-yet-disclosed location and will conclude after paddling under the French King Bridge.
Transportation for boats and people back to their cars will be provided.
A picnic and pig roast will take place July 28, including live music and Wagon Wheel ice cream. Details are still being worked out, but will be announced soon.
“Monadnock Steel Drummers” will play a concert on the Gill Common Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. while community members participate in a puzzle, game and book swap. If it’s rainy, Gill Church will host the event.
From 10 a.m. until noon Nov. 3, the library will host a jigsaw puzzle swap to help residents find new puzzles to complete. The library asks that, if possible, a rubber band should be wrapped around the contents to prevent spills.
Administrative assistant Ray Purington said that in general, the town encourages anyone from surrounding communities to attend.
“It’s a great way to showcase all Gill has to offer,” he said. “And it showcases the special meaning Gill has for all its residents.”
Reach Christie Wisniewski at: cwisniewski@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 280