Rockingham Old Home Days July 31–Aug. 2 A celebration of community, history and tradition

Rockingham Old Home Days Weekend returns Friday, July 31, through Sunday, Aug. 2, bringing together community organizations, local businesses, musicians, volunteers and residents for a weekend celebrating the history, traditions and community spirit of Rockingham.

This year’s celebration features a full weekend of events across the community, blending longtime traditions with new experiences for visitors of all ages.

Friday, July 31

• Live music by Isaac Ian from 4 to 6 p.m. at 7 Balls Brewing, 94 Rockingham St., Bellows Falls.
• Community Car Show hosted by the Hit or Mis Car Club, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the BDR Transport parking lot, 7995 US Route 5, Westminster.

Saturday, Aug. 1

• Bellows Falls Fish Ladder, 17 Bridge St., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can enjoy educational exhibits, interactive activities and opportunities to learn more about the annual migration of fish along the Connecticut River.
• Waypoint Center, 17 Depot St., Bellows Falls, 4 to 9 p.m. The festival will feature local vendors, community organizations, food trucks, family activities, live music, demonstrations and entertainment throughout the evening.

Some highlights include:

• 4 to 5 p.m. Vermont Armored Combat live performance, followed by an interactive experience until 5:30 p.m.
• 4 p.m.: Debbie and the Downers
• 5: 30 p.m: Intercept
• 7 p.m: MV19
• 9: 30 p.m. 50th Annual Fireworks over the Connecticut River.

Sunday, Aug. 2

The Rockingham Meeting House Association invites the public to join in a special Annual Pilgrimage at the historic Rockingham Meeting House, 11 Meeting House Road in Bellows Falls. This year’s Pilgrimage takes place on Aug, 2, the very day, 250 years ago, when members of the Continental Congress began signing the parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence.

The Rockingham Meeting House Pilgrimage will commemorate this historic milestone through a program of remembrance, music, storytelling and community fellowship set against the backdrop of one of Vermont’s most important Revolutionary-era landmarks.

The program begins with a fife and drum mustering visitors to gather at the Meeting House cemetery. The community will honor Rockingham’s Revolutionary War veterans, including local men who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill, paying tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those who helped to secure the nation’s independence.

Mustered into the Meeting House, Revolutionary-era music will set the tone for a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, allowing visitors to hear the words that inspired a revolution on the very anniversary of the document’s signing.

The program will also feature “A New American – The Tale of Deborah Sampson,” celebrating the extraordinary life of the only woman to receive a military pension for 18 months of service in the Continental Army. Born into poverty and determined to make her own way in the world, Sampson became a teacher, a skilled weaver and, ultimately, a soldier who disguised herself as a man to enlist in the Continental Army. After the war, she became one of America’s earliest female public lecturers, sharing her remarkable story at a time when women’s voices were rarely heard from the public stage.

The Pilgrimage concludes with a community sing-along of familiar patriotic songs celebrating freedom, unity and the enduring ideals of the American Revolution.

The event is free and open to everyone. For more information, contact Alli Lubin allilubin@gmail.com or Walter Wallace clg@rockbf.org.