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05/23/2018 08:30 AMBuilt in 1774, the Thomas Griswold House has witnessed many a parade passing by; but this year, things will be different.
Immediately following the Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 28, the Guilford Keeping Society (GKS) invites the community to gather for the GKS Annual Memorial Day Picnic, to be held for the first time at the Thomas Griswold House Museum, 171 Boston Street, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thirteen years ago, picnic co-chair Barbara Johnson dreamed up the idea of having her Guilford neighbors gather for GKS’s first old-fashioned Memorial Day Picnic at the society’s then-newly acquired second property, Medad Stone Tavern on Three Mile Course.
“I thought, ‘This would be a really cool place to have a party! Who could I invite? The town!’” says Barbara. “It’s all about community, and that’s what GKS is all about. We started out as a society keeping the treasures of this town to share with the community.”
Barbara has been co-chairing GKS’s Memorial Day Picnics ever since.
“I’m very happy to be co-chair of the Memorial Day Picnic,” she says. “I envision it as always changing, always doing something new, making it more interesting, and finding out what people want to do and what we can get for them.”
This year’s biggest change is, of course, the picnic location. Barbara says the Griswold House and its grounds and historic outbuildings are ready to be the new centerpiece of what’s become a favorite town tradition.
“This house lends itself so well to our picnic,” says Barbara. “The parade comes right by here, and the picnic immediately follows the parade, so we’re hoping more people will know about it and come on over.”
If you’ve passed the classic New England saltbox on Boston Street, no doubt you’ve seen GKS’s big, beautiful banner inviting the community to come to the Memorial Day Picnic. The all-volunteer group has also been getting the word out with posters as well as great video shot by picnic co-chair Chris Hartmann (view it on Facebook at the Guilford Keeping Society page).
Barbara thanks her co-chair and the picnic committee as well as many more volunteers who are helping to create another memorable Memorial Day Picnic.
“The committee has done so much work,” she says. “People have really stepped up and done a lot.”
This week, the picnic crew is going all out to grab the attention of potential picnic-goers by posting eye-catching “Burma Shave”-style roadside advertisements leading up to house on either side of Boston Street. Look for eight or nine signs spaced progressively on the approach, each touting a different exciting picnic element.
“Oh, the signs are great—’Live music!’ ‘Tortoise Races!’” riffs Barbara, who can tick off every detail about what’s to be found at this family-fun event. She says there will be plenty of things people have always loved about the picnic, and a lot of new things for them to experience, too.
“We’ll have the usual [Colonial] kids’ games like braces, where you throw a ring and catch it with stick, and hoops, and egg toss and sack races. We’re also having donkey rides and tortoise races, and so much to see in the house and on the grounds,” she says.
An important part of the picnic includes a Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag flown at the house to help commemorate the meaning of Memorial Day, says Barbara.
“While this is a really fun event, we also do want to honor our veterans and those who have served and are serving in the military,” she says.
The picnic is run like an open house, with guests free to drop in anytime during picnic hours or stay for the entire day. Guests can catch blacksmith demonstrations by Eric Van Der Maelen and carpentry demos by his dad, Steve Van Der Maelen, a GKS board member. Of course, the historic Thomas Griswold House museum will be open for tours, as well.
“We’ll have tours of the house, and our newly refurbished and restocked gift shop will be open, which has all sorts of things like kids’ games, tin ware, and bird carvings by Carl Balestracci,” says Barbara. “All of our outbuildings will be open, too. The fact that we have two corn cribs and a privy here—people don’t usually see those things. People will be able to see the entire property.”
The privy (for viewing only) and other outbuildings, including the blacksmith’s shop, are located on the grounds behind the house, where the picnic will unfold. Live music will be provided by the Dave Mazza band. Community members can bring their own baskets of food (chairs, blankets, and umbrellas are welcome, too), or help GKS out by purchasing lunch from the grill (burgers, hotdogs, beverages, and chips).
The picnic’s finale is its annual pie-eating contest (pies are donated by Bishops Orchards Farm Market), but other desserts can be found during the day, too. An old-fashioned Good Humor Ice Cream truck will be on the premises offering cool treats; freshly made kettle corn will also be available for sale at the picnic. Portions of sales proceeds will assist GKS.
Kids who’d like a ticketed ride on one of Tripledale Farm’s mammoth donkeys will be helping raise funds for GKS and a non-profit donkey rescue supported by the Guilford farm. Picnic-goers can also give a free-will donation to support the work of non-profit, all-volunteer GKS.
“Most everything at the picnic is free, but we hope that people will be generous to help us support our grounds and upkeep,” says Barbara. “This event was started to be a celebration of Guilford. We hope that people from Guilford will come and just enjoy the town, enjoy what we have, and hang out with each other. It’s just a simple, quiet day where it’s remembering old times and remembering new times, and appreciating this incredible town and this house that we have.”