Town of West Boylston 200th Anniversary Celebration

Ball honors town meeting held in 1808
By Sandy Meindersma CORRESPONDENT TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

WEST BOYLSTON— The 325 people who attended Saturday night’s Black and White Bicentennial Ball celebrated in style.

Held at the Wachusett Country Club and sponsored by the Beaman Oak Garden Club, the ball was one of several weekend events planned to mark the town’s first town meeting held 200 years ago, on March 7, 1808.

Attendees were greeted and ushered into the main hall, which was decorated in black and white and had pictures of historic places in town on each table.

The swing band Rhythm played a broad range of eras from big band to jazz.

Unlike many of the bicentennial events, there was no mention of the town’s history.

“We wanted to keep it simple, and focused on the celebrating,” Ball Committee member Lyn Bartholomew said.

Ball Committee Chairman’s Erin Beardsley’s welcome was the evening’s only speech.

“Thank you all for coming,” Mrs. Beardsley said. “I hope you have a wonderful evening.”

West Boylston residents and officials gather at Wachusett Country Club for the Black and White Bicentennial Ball, marking the town’s first town meeting held 200 years ago.
(T&G Staff/TOM RETTIG)

Taking advantage of the opportunity to dress up, residents, town officials and politicians put on their best clothes and dancing shoes for the gala.

Photographer Amy Mancini was on hand to capture the partygoers in all their finery.

Selectman Allen Phillips narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction. His tuxedo had been at the dry cleaners, Happy Cleaners, recently damaged by fire, but it had been restored and was delivered to him that morning.

“When I got the call from Sal’s Restoration, I thought it was a joke that the guys at the Fire Department were playing on me,” said Mr. Phillips, who is also a part-time firefighter/EMT and vice chairman of the Bicentennial Committee.

“I told them they had to be at my house between 9 and 9:30, and the doorbell rang at 9:27, and there they were with the tuxedo,” said Mychelle Phillips, Allen’s wife.

Other events that took place over the weekend included performances of “My Town, My World” by the elementary school’s Bicentennial Players, a bicentennial brunch and a concert by the Heritage String Band.