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Merrimac 150th committee approves minutes and advances fundraising, coin and time-capsule plans
Summary
At its Sept. 25 meeting, the Merrimac 150th Celebration Committee approved prior minutes and moved forward on fundraising and event plans for the town's 150th anniversary, including a townwide photo/"duck drop" fundraiser, merchandise sales, a commemorative coin and a proposed April 11, 2026 time capsule ceremony.
The Merrimac 150th Celebration Committee met Sept. 25 at the Merrimac Police Department Conference Room and approved the minutes from its Sept. 10 meeting before turning to fundraising and event planning for the town's 150th anniversary.
A motion by Robert L. Gustison II to approve the Sept. 10 minutes was seconded by Lauren Santagate and carried unanimously, with the minutes recorded as approved. The committee later moved and approved a motion to adjourn by the same unanimous margin.
Committee members discussed several fundraising proposals and operational details. A representative from the Light Department attended to present the idea of a 2025 Holiday Light Contest and the potential sale of light-pole banners; the committee asked that the Commissioner relay those ideas back to the Light Department for further consideration. Officer Ringuette provided an operational plan update for the Town Wide photo/"duck drop" fundraiser, outlining day-of needs and responsible parties.
The group confirmed merchandise designs and colors and agreed to offer T-shirts, sweatshirts and long-sleeve shirts for sale at the townwide photo/duck-drop event. Committee members also confirmed the front-and-back design for a commemorative coin and discussed placing sponsors at higher levels on a recognition plaque for Town Hall.
The committee acknowledged receipt of a donation from Haverhill Bank and discussed sponsorship levels and whether top-tier sponsors should be listed on a plaque inset in the town-hall entrance floor. Members agreed to pursue pricing for coins, banners and a potential emblem for the Town Hall entrance.
Committee members reviewed a list of potential events and fundraising ideas and assigned follow-up research tasks. Ideas included a kickoff gala or dinner, a food-truck party, restaurant fundraisers (Little Caesars, Flatbread, Sylvan Street Grille), a Santa parade float, a movie night, a block party in the Squircle, a concert and a beer garden. The committee discussed a proposed time capsule ceremony on April 11, 2026 and the plan to store a new time capsule in the old ballot box for display in Town Hall; Larry Fisher was assigned to confirm the ballot-box size and to pursue coin and emblem pricing.
Assigned action items included: Gustison II following up with the town clerk on ballot-box dimensions, contacting Guilfoil PR about social-media account status and online shirt sales, and researching street-banner pricing; Santagate to follow up with potential gala locations with Cindy Quinn; Santagate to price lawn signs and coordinate bathroom access for Oct. 18; Michelle Gustison to price photo printing for the event; and Larry Fisher to count ducks, contact quilting and display vendors, explore carnival feasibility with Fiesta Shows, review sound-system options, digitize historical photos and obtain coin prices.
The committee set its next meeting for Oct. 9, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Merrimac Police Department Conference Room.
The meeting minutes record named attendees as Robert L. Gustison II, Carol Bourque, Larry Fisher, Julie Fisher, Michelle Gustison, Lauren Santagate and Danielle Teel. Nine members of the public were recorded as present.
