Well,

good afternoon and welcome.

As Lee's Town Administrator is my great pleasure to help begin the official one year countdown to Lee's 250th anniversary.

Several months ago, the select board created the 250th anniversary committee that included representatives from a wide range of town boards, local civic organizations, the public schools, St.

Mary's schools, and local businesses.

The

committee with over 25 members has divided up into four groups or subcommittees that are working together to plan events happening in 2027 that will celebrate the town of Lee's 250th birthday.

Today we will hear from each chair of each subcommittee.

And to begin, I'm happy to introduce Bob Jones, who's chair of the 250th committee and the commemorative book subcommittee.

So select board member Jones.

Go Bob.

Thank you, Chris.

I'm uh totally unprepared for this.

I was told we were doing karaoke today.

And uh but so today is a big day.

Today's October 21st

uh

2026.

Today is our 249th anniversary.

So it but that's not what we're here to talk about.

We're here to talk about the 250th that's gonna take place one year from today.

It's gonna be a major celebration

right

behind you is a brand new, not brand new to uh

uh

in terms of when it was made, but brand new to the town of Leeds that's gonna be incorporated into the celebration.

We're gonna have um some big doings on Main Street on uh and uh there's gonna be a big event, I think on the 21st, right uh right behind the church.

Uh

we're gonna be shutting down uh the street, and we're gonna have a huge celebration.

But leading up to that, we're gonna have all kinds of events, which the committee members will talk to you about.

We're going to be producing a book, which I'll talk about a little bit later.

We're figuring about 400 pages, but I'm gonna pass this on uh to let you know about some of the events.

I'm gonna pass over this over to Alex Hedinger, who's uh the head of uh the Lee Chamber of Commerce to tell you about some of what's gonna be going on.

Alex?

Yeah, thanks, Bob.

Hi.

As

the Lee Chamber of Commerce, we are so excited about Lee's 250th anniversary, not only as a celebration of our town's history, but also as an opportunity to strengthen our local economy.

I see four important ways this can benefit Lee's businesses.

First, it brings people to Lee.

A year of events gives visitors more reasons to come to town, shop in our stores, dine in our restaurants, and stay in our inns.

Second, it encourages people to discover what Lee has to offer.

We want people to do more than attend an event and go home.

We want them to explore our businesses, experience our town, and find reasons to return.

Third, it creates opportunities for businesses to participate through sponsorships, special promotions, partnerships, and events.

Local businesses can help shape the celebration and share in its benefits.

And fourth, it helps build Lee's future as a destination.

The anniversary gives us a chance to tell our story, introduce new people to Lee, and strengthen our identity as the gateway to the Berkshires.

The relationships we build and the visitors we attract can benefit our economy well beyond 2027.

The chamber is proud to be part of this town wide event.

Lee's Lee 250 is a chance to celebrate our history, support the businesses that serve our community today, and invest in Lee's future.

We encourage businesses and residents alike to get involved because the more we participate, the more we can accomplish together and make Lee a great place to visit, live, and work.

Thank

you.

Thank you, Alex.

And next we have Dorothy French, who's going to talk who's uh part of the subcommittee for historical uh exhibits and permanent memorials.

Dorothy.

Thank you.

Thanks, Bob.

Hi, I'm Dorothy French, and I'm the chair of the historical exhibits and permanent memorials subcommittee.