By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

A lot can change in 25 years. But one decision, made by a group of tired, overworked Allenstown residents in 1981, has stuck.

After a four-day celebration of the town’s 150th anniversary, organizers, haggard and wornout, pledged that the town’s 175th would be one day only.

That day, July 29, is fast approaching, and some of those same organizers are revitalized.

Voters last month approved spending $2,500 to support a 175th anniversary party for the town, named after former New Hampshire Gov. Samuel Allen, and incorporated in 1831 with 481 residents.

Since the vote, a committee has been meeting weekly, encouraging the town’s nonprofit organizations to jump on board the planning process, and furiously organizing for the daylong event.

“We’ve got a lot of people coming forward and getting involved,” said selectmen’s chairman and anniversary committee member Sandy McKenney. “I think this could be something that gets people excited and they may want to do it again in another 25 years.”

Indeed, this year’s celebration stems somewhat from the success of 1981’s town-wide party.

Four current anniversary committee members – Art and Lorette Houle, and Roland and Carol Martel – were on the 1981 committee.

“It’s good for a town to do this every 25 years,” said Houle. “Hopefully I’ll be around in 25 years to help with the 200th.”

While most of the day’s events are still tentative, the current committee – which has about 15 regular members – has already worked on securing a section of Bear Brook State Park.

Tentative activities include an all-faith service, a pancake breakfast, speeches from notable politicians, live music and a chicken barbecue.

Also in the works are games like seniors’ bingo, horseshoes, hay rides, a dunking booth and a pie-eating contest. “We’re trying to make it like an old-fashioned day, as if we were operating in 1831,” said Houle.

Food from throughout the day will be provided by a number of the town’s nonprofit organizations like Scouts and the Knights of Columbus. Houle said the committee has been avoiding corporate sponsorship.

“We want this to be for the town and benefitting the town,” he said. “Thankfully a lot of different people have been coming forward to help out.”

The committee is planning to create programs to outline the day’s events and give a brief history of the town’s historic meeting house. Any revenue generated from advertisements on the program will go toward restoring the historic structure, said Houle.

The 1981 committee put together a similar program, and Houle said about 80 percent of the businesses with advertisements then have since folded.

“Twenty-five years doesn’t seem like much time,” he said. “But it’s amazing how much change there is.”

Another event planned for the 175th celebration is filling and burying a cement time capsule.

“I wish we would have done that 25 years ago,” Houle lamented.

The 175th anniversary planning committee has been meeting weekly on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at the police station. There won’t be a meeting April 20. For more information, contact committee co-chairman Roland Martel at 485-8170.