KENT—Ideas abounded Tuesday, Aug. 27 when the America 250 Subcommittee met to propose activities for the town’s semiquincentennial celebration in 2026.
The group’s members had been pondering ideas since it first convened this summer and Sarah Marshall led off with a report about the possibility of a production of “1776,” a musical based on the signing of the Declaration of Independence. She said the cost of a local production would be too high but proposed a screening of the movie version. “We could easily show the film, which is outstanding,” she said.
Alternatively, a bus excursion could be arranged to view the stage version or the movie. “I am sure it will be shown somewhere,” she said.
Turning to other ideas, the group discussed a choral concert by the Kent Singers, an encampment of Revolutionary War re-enactors, cemetery tours, a parade, bell ringing, a family picnic with a concert and historic games for children, fireworks and more.
Andrew Rowand, curator and site administrator at the Eric Sloane Museum, cautioned that some decisions need to be made quickly. He said the museum would be happy to host the re-enactors’ encampment but that re-enactors will be in demand in every town. Fireworks companies will also be booked early, the subcommittee members agreed.
Rowand said the museum would also be able to introduce visitors to a 19th-century iron furnace on the grounds and the history of iron making. “We can talk about the economy of that period,” he said. Northwest Connecticut produced munitions for the Revolution and has been termed “the arsenal of the Revolution.”
“We also have a bell ringing ceremony as close to the Fourth as possible,” Rowand continued. He said he had always wanted to find a place in the town center to ring a bell and it was suggested that a bell ringing could signal the start of the parade. Town Clerk Darlene Brady suggested that commemorative bells could be purchased for people to ring at the parade.
Rowand encouraged members to expand their view of activities beyond the Revolution. “It doesn’t have to just be about 1776,” he said, “We have seen a lot of groups working outside of 1776—right up to the Cold War.”
