The yearlong celebration of the Quaboag Plantation’s 350th anniversary is going strong through the summer months. Several events have been held throughout the year, and a host of events are planned for the summertime. The plantation was settled in 1660 and includes what are now Brookfield, North Brookfield, East Brookfield, West Brookfield, New Braintree and Warren. The upcoming events include an ongoing exhibition of Brookfield history at the Merriam-Gilbert Public Library in West Brookfield. The exhibit has been showcased since Monday, April 5 and will run until Saturday, June 24.

·        On Sunday, June 13 there will be music and historic readings outside Warren Town Hall starting at 1 p.m. The rain location for this event is Emmanuel Church on Winthrop Terrace. This event will include the readings from Old Sturbridge Village Chief Historian and Museum Scholar Emeritus Jack Larkin. He will be speaking about “the many layers of Warren’s past.” During the event, cakettes and iced coffee will be served. The same day, there will be a croquet social and banjo/fiddle contest on West Brookfield’s town common. The croquet will begin at noon, and there will be groups consisting of four to six players. Following the croquet social,  the banjo/fiddle contest will begin at 4 p.m. For more information on this event — or to participate in the event — contact Rob Lyon at (508) 867-7316 or ntiques@aol.com.

·        A triathlon consisting of a quarter-mile swim, 12-mile bike ride and 3-mile run for adults (100-yard swim, 1/2- mile bike ride and 300-yard  run for children) will be held Saturday, July 3 starting at the West Brookfield town beach. Mail-in entry forms will be accepted through Friday, June 25; anyone wishing to register after that date can do so on the day of the race. For more information, call Dan Sykes at (508) 867- 8596 or e-mail qptc@quaboag350.com.

·        On Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11 a garden tour will be given throughout all of the plantation towns. Residents who have gardens in the plantation may call Don Roberts at (508) 867-6498 or Deb Morrison at (508) 867- 3324 if they would like to include their garden on the tour.

·        The First Annual Silver Bat Classic will be held Saturday, July 10 on the North Brookfield Town Common. The purpose of the game is to recreate the game between the North Brookfield and Brookfield Base Ball Clubs in 1865. The game will be played following the rules of the original “Massachusetts Game” on the historic North Brookfield Common. To help with this event, or for more  information, contact Brandon Avery by e-mail at avery468@aol.com.

·        On Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18 the Quaboag Unity Tree Pow Wow will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Route 9 (1/4 mile west of the town common) in Brookfield. This event, presented by the Nipmuck Indian Council, includes authentic Native American drumming, singing, dancing, flute music, basket making, jewelry, storytelling, crafts, pottery, food and colonial crafts and demonstrations. Admission to the event is $3 for adults and $1 for children.

·        For cooking lovers, there will be a bake-off competition at Concerts on the Common in Brookfield, Friday, July 23.

·        Brookfield Historic Day, Saturday, Aug. 7, consists of  several events. The day includes a bus tour, scavenger hunt, photography contest, activities on Brookfield Common and presentations from Deborah Navas and Robert Wilder.

·        Saturday, Sept. 11 will be a day of activity at Dean Park in West Warren. Food and games will be available all day during Family Fun Day. At night, fireworks will be shot off.

·        On Friday, Sept. 17 and Saturday, Sept. 18, homecoming on the common will be held in all the plantation towns. Also on Saturday is the “Meeting in the Middle of the Road” at 10:30 a.m. on Foster Hill. On Sunday of that weekend, Sept. 19, the 350^th Parade will begin at noon in West Brookfield.

·        At the end of month, Tuesday, Sept. 28, there will be a presentation by Michael Tougias about King Philip’s War at 7 p.m. in the Brookfield Elementary  School cafeteria.

·        Finally, the West Brookfield common will host a parade and races for lawnmowers and lawn tractors on Saturday, Oct. 2 (rain date Oct. 9) For more information about these events, visit the planning committee’s website at www.quaboag350.com. Teresa A. Franco may be reached at (508) 909-4136, or by e-mail a tfranco@stonebridge-press.com