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<br />300" h Anniversary Celebration Committee- mmit conti ed frog prev$ous age
<br />Breeches, Bloomers and Bellbottoms: Oh My!
<br />Formal events continued in October with the premiere of
<br />Breeches, Bloomers and Bellbottoms: Oh My! This original
<br />show featured more than 100 performers and was written
<br />to celebrate 300 years of clothing worn in Lexington. The
<br />audience was charmed to see a new side of local govern-
<br />ment officials, teachers and staff from the municipal and
<br />school departments. These cheerful cast members sang,
<br />danced and modeled a variety of fashion items, from uni-
<br />forms to clothing worn in the 1920s. All five Selectmen
<br />participated. Deb Mauger, Norm Cohen and Peter Kel-
<br />ley took part in a 1920s scene, joined by Deborah Brown
<br />(Moderator), Nancy Corcoran - Ronchetti (President of the
<br />Town Meeting Members Association), and Kirsten Hede-
<br />Brierley (Lexington resident and professional model).
<br />George Burnell and his wife, Mary, modeled traditional
<br />Tennis Whites in a recreation scene. Hank Manz played
<br />the part of the Boy Scout's founder in a scene devoted to
<br />uniforms. Noteworthy in this scene, Mike Barry wore one
<br />of Lexington's finest police dress uniforms, and long -time
<br />Lexington crossing guard Sally O'Leary transformed her-
<br />self into Rosie the Riveter, modeling the working woman's
<br />uniform from World War II.
<br />Lexington's Town Manager, Carl Valente, agreed to be in
<br />the show and played the part of a Town Manager in the
<br />1960s. He also signed the entire Senior Management team
<br />on for the show. They cheerfully dressed the part of fash-
<br />ion- conscious Lexingtonians from the 1960s. To top it all
<br />off, they took time for dance rehearsals with Thelma Gold-
<br />berg from the Dance Inn. She put together a routine for the
<br />scene called Teenager Troubles that thrilled the audience.
<br />When the Boston Globe interviewed Carl Valente, the re-
<br />porter took away the notion that the senior management
<br />team would be participating in a kick -line. After reading
<br />the Globe article, director Jessie Steigerwald suggested the
<br />scene could really end in a kick -line. Showing their mag-
<br />nificent dedication, everyone agreed to give it a try and the
<br />results were captured by 300th photographer Sanjay Padaki.
<br />The Lexington Public School staff also joined in the show
<br />by depicting Lexingtonians in the 1970s. They wore poly-
<br />ester print shirts, flared bellbottom pants, tie -dyed t- shirts
<br />and wildly colored jumpsuits. High School students in the
<br />cast and in the audience were entertained when the teachers
<br />sprang onto the stage dancing the classic 1970s song "The
<br />Hustle. "The teachers danced their way out of the auditorium,
<br />inviting audience members to get on their feet to clap along.
<br />LexCelebrate! Incorporation Weekend
<br />Incorporation Weekend was celebrated with a weekend -
<br />long free event called LexCelebrate! Lexington High
<br />School's classrooms and large gathering spaces were filled
<br />with panels, presentations, interactive programs, an author
<br />series, a Sports and Recreation extravaganza, artist dem-
<br />onstrations, technology displays, and the U.Mass Boston's
<br />Mass. Memories Road Show. The funding for LexCele-
<br />brate! was generously provided by Leslie and Colin Mas-
<br />son, 300th Patriot Presenting sponsors. In addition, a Mock
<br />Town Meeting for 8th grade students took place at Cary
<br />Memorial Building.
<br />As part of LexCelebrate! Incorporation Weekend, Melanie
<br />Lin and Geetha Padaki chaired the evening event "Dance
<br />Around the World." The centerpiece was the presentation
<br />of dances from across the globe that are part of the towns
<br />different cultural heritages. After dances representing India,
<br />China, Latin America, Scotland, Israel, Korea and Greece,
<br />a Fusion Dance choreographed by Jayshree Bala Rajamani
<br />and put together by all groups brought the dancers together
<br />in a dance that represented the entire Lexington community.
<br />Audience members were literally drawn onto the dance floor
<br />to become part of the heart of the event. The 1,400 attendees
<br />also enjoyed visiting booths sharing traditional crafts, textiles,
<br />food and activities from around the world.
<br />Lexington Then and Now —The 300th Comic Book
<br />Several volunteers worked to create a comic book for Lex-
<br />ington. The book was illustrated by Bentley Boyd and made
<br />available for use in school classrooms. Readers can follow the
<br />evolution of the town from days as part of Cambridge Farms
<br />to the present. In addition, the book takes a close look at our
<br />local government and follows the process of Town Meeting
<br />from citizen and Committee concerns to Warrant Article
<br />debates on the floor. The commission for the book was fund-
<br />ed by gifts from the League of Women Voters of Lexing-
<br />ton, Town Meeting Members Association, and the Chinese
<br />American Association of Lexington. Book sales were robust
<br />enough to permit the 300th Committee to give copies of the
<br />book to Cary Library, to each school library, and to every stu-
<br />dent in 5th and 8th grade. In addition, sets were provided for
<br />the high school and elementary schools.
<br />Mock Town Meeting
<br />8th grade students practiced holding Mock Town Meet-
<br />ings in their Social Studies classrooms during the winter
<br />of 2013. Students played Town Meeting members, citizens,
<br />Town Moderator and Town Clerk. The Warrant Article un-
<br />der debate was whether Lexington should ban the sale of
<br />water packaged in plastic bottles. Class lessons were sup-
<br />ported by a grant from Lexington Education Foundation.
<br />As part of LexCelebrate!, the 300th Anniversary Commit-
<br />tee, Town Meeting Members Association and League of
<br />Women Voters of Lexington collaborated to hot an All-
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