Veterans firemen's group secures July 17, 2027 date for Southborough tricentennial hand-engine muster

Jamie Falcone, president of the Francis Dexter Newton Veterans Firemen's Association, told the Town of Southborough Tricentennial Committee on June 11 that his group wants to host an antique hand‑engine muster on Saturday, July 17, 2027, the town’s tricentennial date under the Gregorian calendar, and asked the committee to reserve that day for the event.

Falcone said his nonprofit expects to attract about 15 antique hand engines and estimated a budget of about $25,000 to cover advertising, police details, water, prize money and other logistics. “Putting on this muster in today’s budget, we could use $25,000 to be sufficient to host a muster that we could all be proud of,” Falcone said.

The committee’s vote to hold the date was taken June 11. A motion to plan the muster for Saturday, July 17, 2027, was made and seconded; committee members raised their hands and the chair announced the result was unanimous. The vote locks the date on the tricentennial calendar but does not commit the committee to full financial sponsorship: committee members and Falcone repeatedly stated that fundraising and coordination would continue after the date was set.

Committee discussion and Falcone’s presentation detailed the event format and logistics. A typical hand‑engine entry receives 15 minutes of competition time; Falcone estimated the muster would likely run from about noon to mid‑afternoon (roughly noon to 3–4 p.m., depending on the number of entries). He said participants historically compete to produce the longest water stream on a 300‑foot course and noted prize money and trophies help attract out‑of‑town teams. Falcone also described needs the town would help coordinate: a PA system, police detail for crowd control and traffic, access to water (some towns use hydrants with meters), and field setup; he suggested Choate Field as a likely venue.

On funding, Falcone described how prize payouts are typically issued by the New England States Veterans Firemen’s League, the sanctioning organization, and said his association is a 501(c)(3). Committee members asked questions about whether a town donation to the association would be permitted and how prize monies would be handled; Falcone said the association could accept donations and the league would issue prize checks. Committee members also discussed the association’s ability to help with fundraising and promotion, and offered to assist with publicity and outreach.

The committee emphasized that reserving the date was intended to give organizers, visiting teams and partner groups time to plan and to allow the committee to coordinate other tricentennial programming around the day. Committee members noted that locking a date does not remove future review: if circumstances change, the committee said it would revisit logistics and funding.

The committee directed staff and working groups to continue coordinating on venue availability, public‑safety needs and fundraising, and to return with cost estimates and recommended funding sources. Falcone invited committee members to attend area musters this summer to observe the competition.

Falcone provided historical context about his organization and the event: the Francis Dexter Newton VFA maintains three hand engines (the Falcon, Franklin No. 1 and others) and has hosted musters in Southborough for past anniversary events. He described prior musters on Choate Field in 1977 and October 12, 2002, and said hosting the muster for the 300th would continue that tradition.