Newspaper clipping, March, 1935
(The program listed in
March was expanded, as noted on pages 173-178 of Litchfield-Hoyt
History of Oxford.)
Oxford Tercentanary Celebration June 8, 9
Plans are going forward for Oxford's celebration of the Connecticut
tercentenary which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 8 and
9. Word has just been received by the chairman, H. S. Douglas, that the
program committee of the tercentenary commission of the State of
Connecticut has approved the dates for the local celebration, thereby
giving it state recognition and publicity. There will be a
meeting of the general committee at Community Hall, Quaker Farms, on
Friday evening, March 15, at which time the different heads of projects
for the celebration will make a report. The program for the two-day
celebration has been approved by the local committee as follows:
Saturday, June 1, a.m..
9 a.m. -- Tercentenary tree planting by the Oxford Garden Club.
10 Drills and Maypole dances by Oxford school children, Boy Scout
activities, troops 1 and 2 and invited guests.
11 -- speaking by distinguished guests.
P.M.
12:30 -- Luncheon
2 -- Start of historical tour. Opening of new federal road.
8 Costume dance at Grange hall.
SUN DAY, June 2.
2:30 p.m. -- Open air united religious service on the lower green.
8:15 p.m. - Sacred music concert at the Grange hall by Parent-Teacher
Association.
The historical tour will be conducted by R. C. Jacobs and will include
a large number of automobiles in a procession which will cover about
ten miles, taking in about a dozen points of historical interest in the
town. At each designated house or station there will be a pageant
in costume representing some historical event connected with the town
or state. All visitors to Oxford for the celebration will be urged to
join the townspeople in the procession and those having vacant seats in
their cars will be requested to take along the less fortunate ones. The
itinerary of the tour will be as follows:
First episode: Scene at the William Pope House,John Pope, chairman.
Second episode -- the Congregational Church, built in 1795, Rev. C. S.
Ramsey, chairman. Official opening of the new federal road, Michael
Cassidy, chairman.
Third episode: The Philo Holbrook house near the town line, Mrs. Jessie
Peck, chairman.
Fourth episode: The Albert Pope house. Mrs. Hubert Stoddard and Mrs.
Sherman Sanford, chairmen.
Fifth episode: The Fred Bice, Sr., house, corner of Park Road, Miss
Julia Crofut, chairman.
Sixth episode: The Lieut. John Griffin house, Mrs. Miles Shelton,
chairman.
Seventh episode: The Roberts and Stanton houses. Miss Flora
Roberts, chairman.
Eighth episode -- The Courtney house, Quaker Farms. Mrs. Catherine
Beardsley and Michael Cassidy, chairmen.
Ninth episode: The R. Z. Hawkins house, Quaker Farms, Miss Helen
Balinski, chairman.
Tenth episode: Christ Church, Quaker Farms, Mrs. Leslie Tomlinson,
chairman.
Eleventh and final episode, entitle the Derby town meeting of 1798
which will be staged on the Chandler property, Quaker Farms. Mrs.
Leslie Tomlinson and Mrs. Ralph Peck, chairmen.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilton Lackeye are acting as a special advisory committee,
working with the chairmen of the different episodes.
The general committee for the Oxford celebration follows:
Printing, program and tickets, etc. Hubert Stoddard, Charles Pope, Miss
Mabel Lum.
Markers for historical sites, R. Z. Hawkins, R. C. Jacobs, Miss J.
Mabel Lum.
Luncheon and concessions, Mrs. Oscar Larsen, Mrs. Newell Ives, Mrs.
Ralph Peck,, Mrs. Sadie Olsen.
Publicity, local newspaper correspondents and H. S. Douglas
Posters, local school teachers.
Costume ball at Grange hall, G. Walter James, E. P. Rowland, R. C.
Nyberg, John Pope, Clark Pope, David Hall, Fred Bice, Jr.
School children and Boy Scout activities, Mr. Floyd, supervisor, the
local teachers, Rev. C. S. Ramsey and H. S. Douglas.
Secretary, Miss Eloise Pope.
Tercentenary and memorial trees, the Oxford Garden club.
The sacred concert at Grange hall, the Oxford Parent-Teacher Association
Entertainment of speakers, Ralph Peck, William Curtiss, C. P. Pope, H.
E. Stoddard.
Traffic control, E. S. Williams, William Curtiss, Thomas Schreiber.
Properties, August Douillet, Nelson Cable, Cyrus Shelton, Clarence
Roberts.
Messengers and ushers, the Boy Scouts.
Additional members of the committee, Christ Olsen, Robert Freeman,
Stephen B. Church, R. I. Sanford, Carl Eckstrom, Mr. and Mrs. Wilton
Lackeye, Ralph Wheeler, Miss Ruth Sanford and Mrs. Caroline Hall.
General chairman, Rev. H. S. Douglas.