Walter Stewart’s is proud to sponsor the 25th annual Ice Cream Social, featuring a menu of sweet treats, music by the Town Band and the Saxationals, plus a parade of vintage cars, will be held on the New Canaan Historical Society grounds, Sunday, June 8. Held rain or shine, the old-fashioned event runs from 1-4.
There will be a parade of colorful, classic and vintage vehicles. One of the stars is the Northern, produced in 1904 and owned by the Fairty family of New Canaan.
Dave Fairty, whose great-great-grandfather bought one of the first to be made for the sum of $750, has devoted nine years to the painstaking restoration of his rare treasure (only four exist today). He completely dismantled the car, hired a mechanic, and then proceeded to find, or make, the missing piece — without a “blueprint, according to a release. The parts needed to be man-made. Fairty noted that his Northern had led the town’s Memorial Day parade beginning in the 1940’s. It also made an appearance at the first Ice Cream Social 25 years ago.
Other offerings include Colonial games and crafts for children, spinning and weaving demonstrations in the Hanford-Silliman House and visits to the Cody Drug Store. The John Rogers Studio with its display of Civil War-era statuary, the Tool Museum housing the old printing press, and the Rock School (which served children in the Canoe Hill District), will also be open to visitors.
Off-campus, the iconic Little Red Schoolhouse on Carter Street will open its door from 1:30-3:30, with docent-led tours. These graduates will share memories of the one-room, five-grade school which closed in 1957. It was restored in 2003.
The Town Band, under the direction of Brad Williams, is one of the oldest in the country — it celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2006. According to the late Joseph C. Sweet, town historian and longtime director, membership has varied from eight musicians in the 1830’s to as many as 50 in 1935.
Topping off the weekend on Monday, June 9, will be the society’s annual meeting, followed by American folk performer Rick Spencer. He is widely known as a historian, researcher, singer and songwriter, as well as for his 20-year tenure as staff musician at Mystic Seaport and Museum of America and the Sea.
Baskin-Robbins will again donate the ice cream, with the National Charity League supplying the homemade cakes. Sponsors include Bankwell in New Canaan and Walter Stewart’s Market.
http://www.ncadvertiser.com/33334/historical-societys-ice-cream-social-turns-25/