EAST LONGMEADOW — East Longmeadow is preparing to dig up the past and replant a part of the present day as the town’s time capsule events rapidly approach.
The gears have been turning inside the East Longmeadow Historical Commission and Rotary Club for the past few months in preparation for the unveiling of the 1976 time capsule and the burial of a new time capsule, intended to be uncovered in 2076.
A kickoff event is being hosted at the shared grounds of Norcross House and the Historical Museum, 89 Maple St., on May 30 from 1-3 p.m. to celebrate the new time capsule ahead of its burial in Heritage Park on July 18.
Event goers will be able to create their own time capsule contributions, such as with a photo booth for a picture of themselves. Children are also encouraged to submit drawings to the new capsule, as paper and art supplies will be provided. Attendees can also just enjoy some lawn games and light refreshments while connecting with the community.
The Historical Museum will also be open during the event for people to see some of the town’s history.
Historical Commission member George Kingston said the event will be a big party and the time capsule events will get the whole town involved with history from 50 years ago, while also giving residents the chance to contribute in cementing our present day history.
Kingston said that he’s looking forward to having kids submit things and that the commission is working with the library and schools to encourage children to submit letters to themselves.
“If they’re 10 years old now, they’ll be 60 when this thing gets opened,” Kingston said. “It’d be interesting to look back and see what they thought 50 years before.”
Submissions for the new time capsule close on June 27, and Kingston said there will be several events where people can see the capsule and submit things. He said there will hopefully be submission boxes at Pleasant View Senior Center as well.
Kingston said the commission reserves the right to choose what goes in the capsule because he doesn’t want anything to degrade, so he’s encouraging people to go with small or flat items like paper.
“We’re not taking anything perishable, that sounds like a no-brainer but, you know, you have to say that,” Kingston said. “No liquids, no rubber objects, no hazardous materials, nothing with batteries … specifically, we are not accepting USB drives, or thumb drives, because we don’t have the ability to scan all of those things, and we don’t want people 50 years from now getting 50-year-old viruses on their machines.
The capsule is currently receiving a decorative wrap at Go Graphix and will also be featured in the parade on Independence Day. The 1976 capsule does not have a specific date for being dug up and unveiled just yet, but Kingston predicted it will occur around late July or early August.
Kingston added that the Rotary Club deserves a lot of credit for the upcoming events and that it has been very active in planning and funding, along with Town Manager Tom Christensen for attending each meeting and providing advice. He also gave a shout out to Historical Commission Chair Christine Devlin, who has been tracking timelines and creating each schedule.
