Pepperell 250th Committee Dedicates Main Street Bench Area, Wraps Two-Year Celebration

Pepperell 250th · Meeting of June 14, 2026

Pepperell's 250th Anniversary Committee dedicated a permanent bench area on Main Street and formally closed out its two-year run at a Flag Day ceremony June 14, 2026. Co-chairs Steven Thelmus and Bob Poulin presided over the ribbon cutting of a 15-foot concrete circle featuring two granite benches, an engraved granite centerpiece medallion, and a commemorative sign, sited near the G.A.R. monument across from CNS Pizza. Treasurer Sandra Herman announced the committee had raised a total of $133,000, exceeding its earlier public estimate of $115,000, across 22 events that included a parade drawing 1,400 participants.

Select Board Chair Mark Matthews formally dedicated the bench area to the committee and called it, in his view, "one of the best committees we've had in the whole town." Herman announced approximately $30,000 in remaining funds will carry over to a new successor body, the Celebrate Pepperell Committee, which will hold its first event August 15, 2026.

In the full story:

• Opening and Context
• The Bench Project: From Coin to Concrete Circle
• The Ceremony: Formal Remarks and Recognition
• Financial Summary and Committee Record
• Successor Committee and Next Event
• Who Was There
• The complete report — 2,140 words

Source: the Pepperell 250th meeting of June 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.