By Christopher Haraden

The official name of the country’s anniversary is difficult to pronounce – semiquincentennial, or 250 years – but it’s easy to join in the fun as Hull celebrates this special occasion all year.

A 10-member committee has been hard at work for the past several months, planning new events and coordinating with existing organizations to incorporate the theme into traditional activities.

Some events, such as the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s Snow Row and the Friends of the Paragon Carousel’s Field of Flags celebration, have already taken place, but there is a full calendar of exciting activities planned, including a parade and field day, excursions to view the Tall Ships in Boston Harbor, a carnival, fireworks, and a public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

The USA 250th Anniversary Committee posts updates on the town’s website, www.town.hull.ma.us, and events will be featured in the Times’ Community Calendar throughout the season. Committee members – Chair John Reilly, Town Clerk Lori West, Town Manager Jennifer Constable, select board member Greg Grey, and residents Maureen Gillis, Rhoda Kanet, James Lampke, Michael Sampson, Mary O’Brien Merrigan, and Peter-Michael Preble – also are seeking donations from individuals and businesses to help fund the activities.

Merchandise and collectibles are being sold to help defray costs, including 250th Anniversary Flags for $25, commemorative coins for $20, and stadium seat cushions for $15.

On Saturday, July 4, the Music by the Sea band concert at the Bernie King Pavilion on Nantasket Beach will feature a patriotic theme with special performers. The concert kicks off at 2 p.m. with a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Earlier in the day, Hull’s traditional Independence Day parade will march through the Hampton Circle neighborhood beginning at 10 a.m., followed by lessons on the proper way to fold the American flag.

Later in July, the carnival on the Hull Redevelopment Authority property returns for a second engagement, running from July 14-18. The final evening of the carnival, which is a fundraiser for the Hull Boosters Club and the Hull Youth Football and Cheer teams, will be topped off by a fireworks display after dark.

The USA 250th Anniversary Committee’s plans include a Vitamin Sea Brewing beer truck, the Assisted Living band, and two food trucks from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 18. The HRA contributed $10,000 toward the 30-minute fireworks display, which Reilly pointed out will take place on the same date that the Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony of the Old State House in Boston in 1776.

Atop Telegraph Hill, the present-day Fort Revere was built on the foundations of Fort Independence, which helped guard Boston Harbor during the Revolutionary War. A troop of soldiers from France – the Colonies’ ally during the war – were stationed at the fort, and many died there during a smallpox epidemic. In 1976, during the nation’s Bicentennial celebration, the town built the amphitheater within the gun emplacements of Fort Revere and the French government contributed monuments to the soldiers on the top of the hill.
This year, to mark Bastille Day (July 14, considered a significant moment in the French Revolution), the Fort Revere Park and Preservation Society will host an observance on Saturday, July 11 at 11 a.m. Featuring music and expected representatives of the U.S. and French governments, the event will culminate in the rededication of the monuments and admiration of the renovations to the landmark Fort Revere water tower.

The Semiquincentennial Committee also is sponsoring excursions to view the Tall Ships in Boston Harbor. Sail Boston returns to the area from July 11 to July 16, with free public tours daily. The local trips leave Pemberton Pier at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on July 15 – as of presstime, the three afternoon trips were sold out.

While events are still being added to the calendar throughout the year, the highlight of the celebration will be a parade and field day on Saturday, August 15. Marchers will step off from Kenberma at 11 a.m. and travel down Nantasket Avenue to L Street, where a field day is planned to bring together the community.

Parade participants have until July 21 to register, and nominations for a grand marshal are being accepted until July 9. Suggestions for this honor can be submitted to the town clerk’s office at town hall – start thinking about who embodies the spirit of the community, serves as a positive role model, and has dedicated themselves to the betterment of Hull.

More details on all these events and activities will be available throughout the year in the Times and on the committee’s page on the town’s website, www.town.hull.ma.us.

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