Hamden Bicentennial Celebration July 13

HAMDEN — The town of Hamden will kick off its bicentennial celebration July 13 with vintage base ball games, craft and vendor fair, children’s activities, ice cream social, demonstrations from area agencies and information about next year’s events.

Most of the action will take place in the field behind the Hamden Town Hall. The vendor fair and will be from noon to 5 p.m., and the free ice cream social will begin at 3 p.m. Twenty vendors will be set up around the grounds with a variety of goods to sell, including handmade jewelry, candles, honey, games, holiday crafts, beef, eggs, breads and henna, temporary tattoos and face painting.

Children’s activities include arts and crafts and staff from Hanford Mills Museum and the Dragon Wagon will be in attendance. Each child will receive a free book from the Dragon Wagon and Hanford Mills will have science experiments for children.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase and people can eat under the pavilion.

People are invited to visit the Hamden Bicentennial tent to find out what the committee has in store for next year’s celebration, including how they can be part of a cookbook and history book. There will be a bake sale and drinks will be for sale at that table. The committee will also have raffle baskets.

In addition to craft and other vendors, county organizations will have booths including Office of the Aging, senior council and Roxbury Arts Group. Delaware Opportunities will offer Narcan training. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office will have K9 demonstrations. Cpl. Karcher and K9 Elli will be at the fair from noon to about 3 p.m. with a K9 demo around 2 p.m. Sgt. Clark and K9 Edge will be present from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and will be doing a K9 demo around 4 p.m. Deputy Mantzouratos will be present for the length of the fair.  

Baseball will be in the forefront of this year’s and next year’s celebrations. At 2 p.m. the Hamden 9 1825 challenge will be held at the town hall field.

The Hamden Polecats, Bovina Dairymen, Mountain Athletic Club and the Elizabeth, New Jersey Resolutes vintage base ball teams will each play two games Saturday, July 13, beginning at 8:45 a.m. at Crawford Field on Launt Hollow Road. The Polecats will face the MAC at 8:45 a.m.; the MAC and Resolutes will play at 10:30 a.m.; the Dairymen and Resolutes will play at 12:15 p.m.; at 2 p.m., there will be a preview of the “Old-Timers Game” that will be played July 20; and at 3:30 p.m. the Polecats and Dairymen will play.

The town will celebrate its bicentennial in 2025, with a parade, covered bridge 5K run, vintage base ball tournament, square dance, historical tours and much more July 12 and 13, 2025. This year’s event will help raise money to allow next year’s events to happen.

For more information, visit Hamden1825.org.