By Adele Levine
The heat didn’t keep them away. On a sweltering late afternoon on July 1, Becket residents gathered at the historic parade grounds – once a training ground for the Town’s Revolutionary War soldiers – to mark the nation’s 250th birthday by planting a young oak tree.
The idea came from Town Administrator Kathe Warden, who opened the ceremony with thanks to the many community members who’d made the day possible. Then she drew a line straight from past to present. “What strikes me most is how this simple ceremony mirrors what happened here 250 years ago,” she said. “Back then neighbors came together to build a community. Today, neighbors came together to honor it. The spirit is the same – people stepping up, lending a hand and creating something meaningful for the whole town.”
Select Board Chair Bill Elovirta took it from there, calling the young oak a living symbol of the strength, resilience, and hope that have carried the country from its earliest days to the present. “As this tree grows long after all of us are gone,” he said, “may it remind future generations of who we were, what we valued, and the care we put into shaping our community and our country.” Then the mood shifted from solemn to spirited as campers from Chimney Corners Camp broke into a rousing “This Land Is Your Land,” and kept the momentum going with a medley of patriotic favorites.
Finally, Elovirta and Select Board member Chris Swindlehurst put spade to soil, planting the oak that will one day tower over the same ground where soldiers once drilled. A reading of the plaque beside it closed the ceremony, words meant to outlast everyone sitting there: “OAK TREE OF LIBERTY. In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. May this tree stand for generations as a symbol of strength, endurance and freedom of our nation. 1776 – 2026.”
Stop by the parade grounds (corner of Route 8 and YMCA Road) and see Becket’s newest historical monument taking root.
