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Charlestown’s 250th planning group outlines events, seeks funding and volunteers
Summary
The town’s 250th celebration committee told the council it has seven voting members and six nonvoting members, will form subcommittees for promotions, history and ceremonies, and expects to return to council by early summer with a plan and budget request for 2026.
George Gingerra, chair of Charlestown’s 250th‑anniversary committee, told the Town Council the new group has met once and is beginning to organize subcommittees to handle promotion, history research and ceremonial events for the town’s 2026 celebration. “We’ve only met one time,” Gingerra said as he outlined the committee’s immediate priorities and a Thursday meeting scheduled to begin drafting event plans.
Gingerra said the committee currently includes seven voting residents and six nonvoting members drawn from town staff, the school district and local businesses. He described three initial working groups: promotions (website, social media and a printed booklet), research/history to expand the town’s existing anniversary book, and a ceremonial unit to plan parades and reenactments. He asked other commission chairs and residents to suggest ideas and potential partners.
On funding, the committee noted only a nominal leftover from the 1976 bicentennial—“about $6,” Gingerra said—and said any meaningful programing will require a future request to the council or budget commission once plans are formalized. He said the group plans to return to the council “by early next summer” with a proposed schedule and funding needs to allow promotion and planning ahead of 2026.
The council encouraged cross‑town coordination: Gingerra reported he had already reached out to chairs in neighboring Richmond and Hopkinton to present a joint ask to the school district and avoid mixed messages across jurisdictions. The group also plans to create a roaming exhibit for libraries and schools and to reissue an updated commemorative book.
The committee’s next public meeting is scheduled for the coming Thursday at 4:30 p.m.; Gingerra invited residents and commission liaisons to attend. The council did not take any formal action on the committee report at the meeting.
