Tick, tick, tick…countdown to blast off! Andover’s 75th Fourth of July Celebration is close at hand. Not even a month left to go. Andover is a wonderful community. This is one of the special days we get to share it with others.
New this year is a movie night. Jane Slayton has been kind enough to help orchestrate a double feature showing two early 1940s movies that we think you will enjoy. Two upbeat wartime movies: Buck Privates, a comedy starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, also featuring the Andrews Sisters; and Hollywood Canteen, a musical starring Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, Kitty Carlisle, Jack Carson, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Alan Hale, Joan Leslie, Peter Lorre, Ida Lupino, Roy Rogers and Trigger, Jane Wyman, Jimmy Dorsey and band, and many others. The usual movie cuisine will be available. The show is free! We hope you will come and enjoy these movies with your friends and neighbors to make this a community affair. Showtime is Saturday, July 1 at the AE/MS gym at 6 PM.
Let’s face it! The Fourth of July represents a very important time in our history. Along with this day comes observing the patriotic underpinnings of the holiday. The Fourth of July committee has worked hard to put together activities on the Village Green that highlight the spirit of the day. Some of these include the flag raising ceremony by the American Legion Crosby-Gilbert Post #101, Pledge of Allegiance, patriotic songs sung by talented folks from our town, and a solemn reading of the names of Andover’s best: those who gave their lives for our freedom. The run up to the parade will include familiar marching tunes by the ever popular Kearsarge Community Band.
This will be our 75th parade and we want it to be a blockbuster. By all indications this will be one of the largest parades on record! Get your registration form in to Donna French by e-mail at: dlfrench@nulltds.net, or regular mail at: 8 Smith Road, Andover, New Hampshire 03216, ASAP. If possible, it would be helpful if you can get it to her by the first week of June. To allow for judging and prizes, which by the way includes a grand prize of $250, we ask that entrants arrive at the Proctor Field House no later than 11 AM! Entering this year’s parade will put you in the history books as participating in Andover’s 75th July 4th celebration!
Put all of this activity against the backdrop of the market on the Village Green. Vendors from across New England come to share their wares, commercial and hand-crafted. You’ll definitely need to stop by one of the food vendors to make the experience complete. If you can’t find it here, you don’t need it! Once the spectacular parade has concluded, don’t go away! We’ve got live music all afternoon, local artists, games that will remind you of days gone by, and refreshments.
All roads lead to Andover on the night of July 4th for one purpose, our unsurpassed fireworks display. Being launched from Proctor Ski Area makes them visible to everyone far and wide. We’re excited to say the quantity and quality will be like nothing you’ve seen before!
If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we have a rain date set for Saturday, July 8. In lieu of this, there will be no parade, but float entrees are encouraged to bring their floats to the AE/MS parking lot for judging and prizes. Kids’ crafts, games, and concessions will all take place on the Village Green. Cancellation due to rain will be posted on the Andover town Web site as well as on the Andover 4th Facebook page (Andover, New Hampshire Fourth of July).
Also, raffle tickets are still on sale. If you haven’t purchased any yet, call Judy Perreault at 603-735-5493, or go to the transfer station on Saturday, June 10, where she will be selling them. The drawing will take place late on the day of the 4th. Again, if you enjoy laughter and the feeling of camaraderie, please consider joining our committee. You won’t regret it!