Springfield celebrates 250th anniversary

The town of Springfield could not have asked for a better day to celebrate its 250th anniversary. The weather was warm, the sky was clear, and hundreds of people came out to Riverside Park on Saturday for a day-long party of music, food, crafts, games, historic displays and more.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110821/NEWS01/708219850

Published August 21, 2011 in the Rutland Herald
Springfield celebrates 250thanniversary

By Christian Avard

SPRINGFIELD — The city of Springfield could not have asked for a better day to celebrate its 250th anniversary.

The weather was warm, the sky was clear, and hundreds of people came out to Riverside Park on Saturday for a day-long party of music, food, crafts, games, historic displays and more.

“It’s a celebration just to say ‘Happy Birthday’ and celebrate our accomplishments while looking ahead to the future,” said Springfield 250th Celebration Committee Chair John Swanson.

The official ceremony took place when Lt. Gov. Phil Scott of Middlesex presented a proclamation to the town. Shortly afterward, Springfield got a special visit from Reeve Lindbergh, the daughter of the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh.

According to Swanson, Charles Lindbergh visited Springfield in 1927 after he flew his nonstop flight across the Atlantic. Lindbergh was friends with the late James Hartness of Springfield. Hartness was an inventor, entrepreneur and a former governor of Vermont who knew Lindbergh through their common interest in aviation.

“Hartness had a connection to Lindbergh and he visited Springfield as part of his 50-state tour right after his solo trip,” Swanson said.

Reeve Lindbergh spoke about her father’s visit and gave Springfield her best wishes.

Swanson said Springfield’s 250th celebration was three years in the making. They obtained critical funding from the town for two years. Gerald Mittica of Edwards Jones Investments and the Springfield Rotary also made significant contributions and 15 businesses and local organizations donated their time, efforts and money toward the celebration.

As residents and visitors alike enjoyed the festivities, interns at the Springfield Art and Historical Society booth spent their time face-painting children and talking about Springfield’s history.

Abby Garaffa and Jen Stein of Springfield High School both interned at the Springfield Art and Historical Society for more than a year. They assisted the art and historical society with research, museum exhibits and other activities.

Garaffa and Stein said they came away from their internship with so much knowledge about Springfield and agreed that Springfield has a special place in Vermont history.

“There were a lot of important people in Springfield. They shaped it rather than the town itself,” Stein said. “They made it possible for everyone to come together and be creative and it allowed the town to expand and grow.”

Vyto Starinskas / Staff Photo Judy Mittica, right, and Carolyne Lane cut cake from the winners of the 250th Springfield Community Celebration at Riverside Park on Saturday. They were selling it by the slice after the judging.