Local history reports that Nelson Old Home Day (often called Picnic Day) began in 1877, when a family gathering invited other townspeople to join in the event. The idea caught on and an interest arose in holding a yearly town gathering. In 1899, Governor Frank W. Rollins, inspired by the Nelson gathering, urged the legislature to proclaim New Hampshire Old Home Week.

Nelson’s Old Home Week has evolved over the years. It has always been a time where second or third generation folks who had moved away were encouraged to visit, but it also is a great time for residents and people from surrounding towns who appreciate Nelson’s unique qualities.

• Events start on Sunday, August 4, with the Nelson Congregational Church holding a special Old Home Sunday service at 9:30 a.m. Attendees often dress in “old fashioned” attire, and some folks have even been known to arrive in horse and buggy.
• Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. the Monadnock Folklore Society presents a free family concert with Kim Wallach and Andy Davis, both well-known local performers who have a warm and entertaining repertoire suitable for kids and parents.
• Wednesday evening, August 7 brings a free concert with Monadnock Music, held in the acoustically sublime Nelson Congregational Church at 7 p.m. This year’s concert will feature Aaron Larget-Caplan and Rafael Popper-Keizer, presenting Romantic duos for cello and guitar by Dotzauer, Burgmüller, Granados, and de Falla, as well as contemporary works by Dusan Bogdanovic, Anne Cawrse, and local composer/performer José Manuel Lezcano. There will be a social gathering with refreshments after the concert.
• On Thursday, August 8, there  will be a rousing game of Capture the Flag on the Nelson Town Common at 7:00 PM. Also at 7:00 p.m. on the lawn of the Nelson Congregational Church, a free concert featuring saxophonist Paul Klemperer, renown harmonica player Bill Newton, backed up by Gordon Peery on keyboard. Singer Liza Constable will join the band for several invigorating songs.
• Friday, August 10 there is a Song Circle in the Town Hall at 7:00 Led by Owen Hale, Lucius Parshall and others from the Marlborough Pub Sing, people are invited to come and listen, or bring a song to share.
• Then comes Old Home Day itself on Saturday, August 10. Things kick off at 9:00 a.m. with the historic Nelson Marathon. Don’t let the M word scare you off – this is a run up Hardy Hill Road and back along the Harrisville Road, approximately 2 miles. Most people run, some use bicycles, and in years gone by there was even a unicycle contender.The morning is full of activity including very popular Friends of the Library book sale, family crafts in the Library, a reading of Milan, a new illustrated children’s book by Sienna Giffin in the Old Library, and live music behind the Town Hall. Musicians include Ethan McBrien and Rachel Allen, Kris Finnegan and David Ottinger, Gordon Peery and Eve Pierce.At noon the chicken barbecue gets started, and diners take their seats on the Church lawn to listen to the Nelson Town Band. This will be followed by an official welcome, awarding of prizes for the games, and finally this year’s speaker, noted anthropologist Robert Goodby, who will present “13,000 Years in Nelson: Ten Things to Know about the First People to Call this Home” Ten important things about Native History in the region, from the end of the Ice Age to the present.

  The Nelson Fire Department then facilitates the always-entertaining  waterball contest, which involves fire hoses, a large ball that travels on a horizontal rope, and dozens of participants who don’t mind getting at 3:00 folks can make the short hike down to the newly restored baseball field, behind the town barn, for a game of softball that will be especially tailored for the occasion.

  The day concludes with a contra dance in the historic Nelson Town Hall. All dances will be taught by caller Steve Zakon-Anderson, and everyone is welcome regardless of experience.

In the event of rain, alternative activities have been arranged for many of the activities, and people will be encouraged to pick up a chicken barbecue to go.

For more information, including updates to all of the above, visit https://nelsonincommon.org/nelson-old-home-day/