Tricentennial committee assigns subcommittees, pushes brick sales and seeks sponsors

The Southborough Tricentennial Committee spent the bulk of its Jan. 15 meeting organizing subcommittees for the 2027 tricentennial, assigning volunteer leads and setting fundraising priorities — with a particular focus on selling commemorative bricks for a Heritage Park plaza.

Committee members identified five standing subcommittees: parade, drone show, historic events, house tours and a combined community barbecue/music festival. Volunteers and leads named during the meeting included Dawn (parade), Andrew (drone feasibility lead), Michelle (historic events), Patty and Kate (house tour coordination, with Kate Battles noted as a past organizer), and Ginny working on fundraising and sponsorship outreach. Several members volunteered to do initial feasibility research for their areas; Andrew agreed to report back on drone‑show costs and vendors.

Fundraising and brick sales dominated discussion. Patty reported that the campaign has sold 62 commemorative bricks, totaling $18,595, with a pending bulk order of 10 bricks sold at the group discount that will raise the total to $21,095. “Today ... we have sold 62 bricks, mini bridal, totaling $18,595,” she said. The committee’s stated goal is to sell at least 300 bricks for the Heritage Park installation. To accelerate sales, the committee is offering a group‑sales discount: organizations that buy a minimum of 10 bricks will pay $250 per brick (a $50 discount). Committee members said they plan targeted outreach to town boards, committees, departments, scout groups and local organizations to meet group sales targets.

The committee also reported progress on institutional support. Karen Englum, a fundraising‑committee member who serves on the board of the Southborough Community Fund, helped secure a proposed pledge from that fund of $10,000 split across three years (the committee described it as $4,000 in year one and $3,000 in both year two and year three). Committee members said approximately $5,000 would cover a donor‑management system (DMS) subscription, and the additional funds would support events and operations; the committee is resolving a few contingencies with the Community Fund before receiving the check.

Other planning notes: committee members discussed pairing a revived Strawberry Social with the library’s June book sale and involving high school students (Algonquin and St. Mark’s) for oral histories, reenactments and volunteer support. Michelle described plans for cemetery reenactments and an oral‑history project involving seniors and students, and Patty noted a need for a coordinator to follow up on group‑sales leads and convert organizational interest into orders and payments.

What’s next: committee members agreed to report feasibility findings at forthcoming meetings, to populate event calendars for 2025–2027, and to focus fundraising efforts — especially group brick sales — to fund signature events. The committee set a next meeting date for Feb. 13.