Planning is underway now for the conclusion of Shepherdstown’s 250th anniversary celebration, which will take place the weekend of Nov. 10-11. The main concluding events will take place on Sunday, Nov. 11. They will include a 3 p.m. Coming Home parade, a 4 p.m. closing ceremony on front of McMurran Hall and evening receptions that will be open to all at various locations in the town.

The parade will be different from the town’s usual parades: the only marchers will be musicians and descendants and representatives of the town’s historic families. (Historic families are being defined loosely as families that were active in the town at least 100 years ago.)

Those wishing to participate in the parade?either as a descendant of a historic family or by representing a family that no longer has descendants in the area?contact Peter Smith at pvsmith@frontiernet.net or 304-876-1139.

The closing ceremony will be held in front of McMurran Hall. It will include remarks by invited guests, the presentation of various special items that have been developed by groups and individuals to commemorate the town’s anniversary and the recognition of others who have undertaken other commemorative projects of lasting value.

The receptions will begin right after the closing ceremony. They will be held at community organizations and churches. All of the receptions will be organized around a common theme: the Shepherdstown Coming Home Soup Fest. Each location will offer a unique soup or soups, along with breads or other suitable accompaniments. This theme was chosen because community “soups” are an old Shepherdstown tradition. A magazine article from the early years of the 20th century states: “The West may have its barbecues and New England its clam bakes, but socially the town of Shepherdstown, W. Va. expresses itself in ‘Soups.’ Like church suppers and bazaars in other communities, a ‘Soup’ is an excuse to foregather.”

A shuttle will be available to provide transportation to these various sites so that people can visit as many of them as they wish. Residents and visitors will be encouraged to visit Shepherdstown’s 250th anniversary website afterward to vote on the best soup, and the winning organization will be recognized publicly after the vote.

For more information about any of these events contact Peter Smith at the email address or phone number shown above.