The Town of Southbury is holding a year-long series of events and activities to celebrate 350 years of community, culture and history. These events celebrate the past and the progress of the one and only Southbury.
For the month of April we have several free community events planned:
April 15 at 10:00am will be a second Quilting Workshop: An Introduction to Creating a 350th Quilt Block, at the Southbury Library, 100 Poverty Rd., organized by the Southbury Arts & Culture Committee.
Join the fun and learn more about quilting, and how to make your 350th Celebration quilt square. Christy Keefe of the Southford Falls Quilt Guild will discuss the basic techniques, tools and materials that could be utilized in creating your 350th Celebration quilt square. Connect with experienced quilters during a Q&A for advice on process and design. Participants are encouraged to bring a notebook and writing utensils to take notes and jot down design ideas.
The Arts & Culture Subcommittee members will be hand to answer questions about the Community Quilt Project and workshop participants will have the opportunity to register for the project and receive their blank fabric square.
Registration is required: 350th Celebration Quilt Block
April 15 at 1:00pm will be a History Book Talk: “No Swastikas in Southbury” by local author, Melinda Elliott. This talk and book signing will be in the Kingsley Room at the Southbury Library. Learn more about this unique moment of Southbury’s history.
The residents of Southbury, Connecticut were surprised to learn that a Pro-Nazi organization was building a Hitler-style youth camp in their midst. The German-American Bund had secretly purchased 178 acres of land just south of the town’s main road. Southbury residents needed to act quickly if they did not want Nazi philosophies to clash with their stanch New England values. In spite of their differences in background or politics, the townspeople had to make a decision. The book reveals an overview of the German-American Bund’s threat to America in 1937 and chronicles the day-by-day struggles of a small town working through their own issues in order to stand up against the Nazis.
Registration is required: Book Talk
April 23 from 1:00pm – 4:00pm is Public Safety Day at the Center Firehouse, 461 Main Street South. Come out and interact with the First Responders of your community.
This indoor/outdoor event offers a rare opportunity for residents in town and the region to meet and interact with the First Responders of the community. They will be providing tours of their vehicles, sharing public safety information, and giving demonstrations. A dozen emergency vehicles will be on public display including ambulances, police cruisers, 102’ ladder truck, heavy rescue, engines, tankers, brush truck, gator, 1936 REO Engine 3, and more. Inside the Firehouse will be various “Stations”, including a simulated “smoke room” to better understand what an actual smoke environment might look like in an emergency.
Click to view more details.
April 28 at 10:00am will be a special 350th Anniversary Arbor Day Celebration at Settlers Park, 280 Crook Horn Road.
Join the Historical Tree Restoration Committee as they dedicate the planting of a new White Oak Tree.
There are various 350th Anniversary commemorative items for sale with proceeds benefiting the Southbury Historical Society
- 350th Anniversary Commemorative Calendar
- 350th Anniversary Commemorative Pewter Ornament
- Town Hall Mural Notecards
All are available from Southbury Town Clerk's office and Southbury Historical Society.
In 1673, a group of colonists from Stratford traveled up the river that we know today as the Housatonic in order to erect a new settlement in the Pomperaug Valley, which was negotiated with the Pootatuck Native Americans. After an initial day of exploration, these religious dissidents spent the night under a white oak tree on an old riverside path. That tree stood for many more years on Crook Horn Road by Settlers Park, in what was to become the Town of Southbury.
Learn about all the 350th Anniversary events planned for 2023 at: https://www.southbury-ct.org/350
The 350th Anniversary Steering Committee consists of John Dwyer and Kevin Bielmeier (co-chairs), Brian Jones (vice-chair), Justin Bette, Lynn Dwyer, Melinda Elliott, Michael Ganem, Kara Kenney, Mary Korsu, and Gosia Liedlich.