Hanover's 300th Starts This November, Using a Plan From 1977

A plow and an anchor sit on top of a time capsule that Hanover buried in 1977, the year the town turned 250. The Hanover 300 Anniversary Committee calls the plow restoration one of its two most urgent projects. Volunteers plan to ask the Community Preservation Committee and the Hanover Cultural Council for funding. The capsule under that plow is set to open on June 14, 2027, the date Hanover was incorporated. That date is still tentative.

The capsule shows how the whole tercentennial is coming together. The committee is building the 300th from two older calendars. One is the list of events Hanover already holds every year. The other is the plan the town used for its 250th in 1976 and 1977. The only new piece this fall is a short film that premieres on November 17.

What the 250th left in storage

The committee's July 15, 2026 planning notes include a section titled "Reference: 250th Anniversary (1976–77) — What Worked." It lists a field day, a BBQ, a 5-mile race, a pageant, a bonfire, a parade and a ball. The notes add that bonfires were especially popular. The brochure from the 250th lists the exact activities, and the Hanover Historical Society keeps records of the pageants, plays and reenactments.

The committee's notes say these physical pieces of 1977 still exist around town:

• The 1977 time capsule, which the committee plans to open and display before filling a new one
• Murals and a quilt from the 250th. The John Curtis Free Library has more, and costumes from past events are also available
• Scrapbooks held by the Historical Society, plus items from the 250th that are still in storage at Town Hall
• The "Hanover 250" coin. The committee has written down the idea of making a Hanover 300 version

The planning notes also say that students who took part in the 1977 capsule can be contacted to help with the new one. Some people helped fill a box for Hanover's 250th and may now help fill one for its 300th. The committee estimates the new capsule will go in around December 2027, after the items have been on display.

The calendar Hanover already runs

The first calendar is the town's regular one. In its September 16 notes, the committee listed "Hanover events already scheduled" and placed them on the anniversary timeline. It has also been talking with groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, Cardinal Cushing Center, the Historical Society, houses of worship and the library. Those regular events and the 1977 ideas fit together like this:

The gift show is the oldest item on the list. This is the Hanover Club's 29th annual show. It features artisans, crafters, local businesses, Santa, food trucks and raffles, and the proceeds support Hanover community services and scholarships. Vendor registration for 2026 is already full. The show's page lists this year's vendors by category.

November 17 is the one new event

The documentary is the only event on this fall's calendar that has never happened before. The town is promoting it as the start of the tercentennial. The Hanover Historical Society holds its 98th Annual Meeting at 7 p.m. on November 17, begins with a short business session, and then shows the world premiere of "Hanover 300." A reception follows. Seats can be reserved through the town's event page.

The town describes the film as Hanover's history told alongside present-day residents talking about what the town means to them. It includes longtime residents, community leaders, historians, and people working on the town's future. In September, the committee described it as a 15- to 20-minute video. The committee also discussed screening it before the November 9 Special Town Meeting. The Historical Society's annual meeting became the premiere instead. The July notes call for a "red-carpet style" premiere.

Kat Fitzgerald is one of the producers. She is the Creative Programming Coordinator at Hanover Community Television. The trailer is on HCTV's channel schedule.

The premiere is at the Laura Center for the Arts on Mill Street. The South Shore YMCA describes the center as offering year-round programming, with performance stages, a gallery and studios. The film tells the town's history for an audience that includes the Historical Society, the group that keeps the scrapbooks from the last anniversary.

December 4 at Four Corners

The Four Corners Winter Festival is not billed as a 300th event. It is on the committee's list of scheduled events, and it is already on the 2027 calendar for December 3, eight days before the John Curtis Free Library's anniversary celebration on December 11. The Four Corners businesses host the 2026 festival on Friday, December 4, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. All shops will be open. The town says the evening includes carolers, crafts and decorations at local shops, and live performances. The festival page lists the Four Corners Stage, the Broadway Stage and Saint Andrew's Church under performances, with each lineup still marked to be determined.

The festival page lists these shopping stops:

• Hawk's Nest Hanover Gear at Salmond School
• Cardinal Cushing Pop-Up Marketplace on Church Street
• Holiday candles at Renovisions
• The annual cookie sale at Saint Andrew's Church
• Holiday gifts at By The Sea
• Floral gifts at Ivy and Olive's
• Ann Marie's Botanicals and Rarities

Boy Scouts will set up battery-operated luminaries along Washington Street, Church Street and Broadway. Homeowners on those streets who would rather not have luminaries on their lawn can call Julie Burke in the Select Board's Office at 781-826-5000, ext. 1033. You can bring a new, unwrapped toy to the ambulance at the corner of Broadway and Washington Street for Toys for Tots. A box for the Hanover Food Pantry will be at the second stage on Broadway. Parking is available in the Rockland Trust Plaza lot off Route 53 and in all lots at Cardinal Cushing.

Saint Andrew's has its own milestone coming. Its cookie sale is on the festival list this December, and the committee's calendar shows the church celebrating its own 300th in June 2027. The church is also listed for Juneteenth events on June 18.

The parts of 1977 that still need a date

The parade is the biggest piece of the 1977 plan that is still unscheduled. The committee agreed in September that a parade would be a key feature of the 300th but did not choose a date. After talking with 25 town committees, members concluded that adding it to the Memorial Day parade would not be appropriate. The police chief suggested pairing it with an existing road race, and the committee did not adopt that idea. A parade subcommittee still has to be formed. The committee also raised concerns about traffic from construction projects planned for 2027.

Town meeting set aside an extra $25,000 for the celebration. The committee's notes say the money covers anniversary activities, including police and fire details. Other items are still on the planning list. They include a logo design contest, Hanover 300 T-shirts, a quilt with a map of Hanover, walking and trolley tours of houses as old as the town itself, a North River walk covering the history of the shipyards, and a permanent flagpole at the new Sylvester School field. A bonfire is on the list again too.

The Hanover Women's Club has proposed a newer idea called "Hanover 300 Rocks." Painted rocks would carry a Facebook page link, and people who find one would post a photo, building a chain that shows how far the celebration travels. The committee has also set up [email protected] for planning questions and plans to post its calendar on the Hanover 300 Anniversary Committee page.

When the 1977 capsule opens next June, its contents will go on display. Then the committee will begin filling the new capsule that it estimates will go in around December 2027.

If you own one of the older houses the committee wants on its tours, or a home along the Four Corners festival route, and you are curious about what it is worth heading into the 300th year, Tara Coveney is happy to walk you through it. Request a private market consultation.