Members of the Andover Olde Home Days Committee stand before the gazebo on Main Street where some activities will be held Aug. 2-4. From left are Chairwoman Amber Cooper, Jane Rich and Tawny Learned.
ANDOVER — The 39th annual Andover Olde Home Days next month will see the return of skillet-tossing, pie-eating, arm-wrestling and dancing.
“We’re pretty excited about a lot of the things that we’re bringing back that haven’t been there for a while,” said Amber Cooper, Olde Home Days Committee chairwoman.
“The only thing we didn’t bring back was the cow chip flip because we don’t have any more cows here,” said Jane Rich, one of the originators of Andover Olde Home Days in 1980. She was chosen as grand marshal for Saturday’s parade.
This year’s celebration is Friday through Sunday, Aug. 2-4.
The 10-member committee was formed after Cooper, the town treasurer, decided to take the lead to keep the community tradition alive, in part, for her husband and daughter.
Cooper said committee member Kayce Gilbert recalled that when she was a child she visited her grandmother, Dinah Cutting, during Andover Olde Home Days and couldn’t sleep the night before all the activities because she was so excited.
“So my daughter and my husband feel that same way,” Cooper said. “They think the best day out of the whole year is Andover Olde Home Days.”
Committee member Tawny Learned agreed with Cooper. “It’s not just a community activity; it’s a tradition for a lot of people, I think. It became a tradition for our family,” she said.
“It’s really good for the community; it’s good for community business,” Rich said.
The theme is “Where the Road Ends and the Fun Begins.”
The fun kicks off Aug. 2 with an art show featuring local artist Denise Hurd at Addie’s Place on Main Street beginning at 4 p.m. and the Marshall Meisner Band on the Common at 6:30 p.m.
Homemade doughnuts and coffee will be available at the Congregational Church on Elm Street at 7 a.m. Saturday and a Cookie Walk and plant sale will be held there at 8 a.m.
Other activities Saturday include a road race, a parade, a chicken barbecue, a skillet toss, an ice cream-eating contest, lawnmower races, a lobster and clam feed and live music.
Sunday’s festivities include a horseback riding show, a canoe float by the covered bridge on Ellis River and lawnmower races for those 16 and older.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, Aug. 2
4-7 p.m.: Art Show featuring Denise Hurd at Addie’s Place, Main Street.
6:30 p.m.: Live Music by Marshall Meisner Band, town Common, Main and Elm streets.
All evening: T-shirts, Olde Home Days theme buttons, 50/50 raffle tickets, town Common.
Saturday, Aug. 3
All day: Parking and shuttle service to the town Common and Grimaldi Field, Elm Street.
All day: Vendors, games, food, town Common.
7 a.m.: Homemade doughnuts and coffee, Congregational Church, Elm Street.
8 a.m.: Cookie Walk and plant sale, Congregational Church.
8 a.m.: Andover Service Circle 4½-mile open run, 1-mile fun run, 1-mile open walk, Andover Elementary School, Pine Street (7 a.m. registration).
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Western Maine Street Rod Antique/Classic Car Show, Akers Fields, Pine Street.
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Photography Contest & Exhibit, Town Hall, Elm Street.
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: 67th Annual Flower Show, Andover Historical Society, Elm Street.
10 a.m.: Parade, White’s Field/Costa’s Farm, Main Street (lineup 9 a.m.; judging 9:30 a.m.).
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Art show featuring Denise Hurd at Addie’s Place, Main Street.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Dunk tank, tennis courts, Main Street.
11 a.m.: Fly-casting competition, Morse’s lawn across from Andover General Store, Main Street.
11 a.m.: Corn-hole competition, behind the Fire Station, Main Street.
11 a.m.: Firemen’s chicken barbecue, Fire Station.
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: 50/50 and quilt raffles, town Common.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Horse-drawn wagon rides, Main Street.
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Children’s activities and games, baseball field, Main Street.
11:30 a.m.: Pie-eating contest, Mills Market, Main Street.
Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Button raffle drawings, town Common.
Noon to 4:30 p.m.: Book sale, Andover Public Library, Church Street.
12:30 p.m.: Arm-wrestling, Congregational Church steps.
12:30 p.m.: Skillet toss, baseball field, Main Street.
1 p.m.: Ice cream-eating contest, Kate’s Kones, Main Street (signup 10 a.m. to noon).
2 p.m.: Andover Service Circle raffle drawing.
3 p.m.: Ellis River Riders game show, Airport Road.
3 p.m.: Lawnmower races (16 years and older), Mow-Ta Speedway, Grimaldi Field, Elm Street.
4 to 8 p.m.: Lobster & Clam Feed, Mills Market, Main Street.
7 to 11 p.m.: Fat & Jack’d Band, Fire Station.
Sunday, Aug. 4
10 a.m.: Ellis River Riders game show, Airport Road.
10 a.m.: Ellis River canoe float, Lovejoy Covered Bridge (contact Dave Smith at 357-1906).
1 p.m.: Lawnmower races (16 years and older), Mow-Ta Speedway, Grimaldi Field.
2 p.m.: Andover Service Circle 50/50 drawing, Grimaldi Field.
For more information contact Amber Cooper at 357-2647.
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