Town Birthday Celebration Weeks Away

Get ready to party hard, because it's not often you get to celebrate a 375th birthday.

Concord is just weeks away from the two-day celebration to mark 375 years since it was incorporated in 1635.

Meg Gaudet, chairman of the ad hoc 375th committee, said there are still sponsorships available for people and companies to buy, and commemorative T-shirt sales are going well.

Town Manager Chris Whelan said the parade is "three times larger" than the normal Patriots Day parade on April 19. He said there are 91 units, up substantially from the 30 or so that march every spring.

Whelan said the route will change too. The reviewing stand will be at the Thoreau Street depot instead of Main Street.

"It will follow the route set for the 350th birthday parade," said Whelan for those that remember the bash 25 years ago.

The town has a permit for fireworks on Sunday, Sept. 12. Gaudet said the weekend's events include a gala adult dance, for which there are still tables left to buy, the parade and the fireworks, and more.

The fireworks are on the grounds of Concord-Carlisle High School, 500 Walden Street. On Sunday, Sept. 12, there will be a music festival at the high school starting at 5 p.m. and the fireworks at 7 p.m.

Selectman Jeff Wieand noted that the parade will "disrupt the enter of town" because it includes Main, Elm and Thoreau streets.

Whelan said police barricades will go up at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, and come down around 1 p.m.

The website devoted to the weekend's festivities is http://concord375.org. It states that almost 600 people and 44 horses will be marshing, with seven marching bands. The site also has information about the Birthday Bash Dance at the Armory on the 11th.