Things kick off at 9:00 a.m. with the historic Nelson Marathon. Don’t let the M word scare you off - this is a run up Hardy Hill Road and back along the Harrisville Road, approximately 2 miles. Most people run, some use bicycles, and in years gone by there was even a unicycle contender.

The morning is full of activity including very popular Friends of the Library book sale, family crafts in the Library, a reading of Milan, a new illustrated children’s book by Sienna Giffin in the Old Library, and live music behind the Town Hall. Musicians include Ethan McBrien and Rachel Allen, Kris Finnegan and David Ottinger, Gordon Peery and Eve Pierce.

At noon the chicken barbecue gets started, and diners take their seats on the Church lawn to listen to the Nelson Town Band. This will be followed by an official welcome, awarding of prizes for the games, and finally this year’s speaker, noted anthropologist Robert Goodby, who will present “13,000 Years in Nelson: Ten Things to Know about the First People to Call this Home” Ten important things about Native History in the region, from the end of the Ice Age to the present.

The Nelson Fire Department then facilitates the always-entertaining waterball contest, which involves fire hoses, a large ball that travels on a horizontal rope, and dozens of participants who don’t mind getting wet, At 3:00 folks can make the short hike down to the newly restored baseball field, behind the town barn, for a game of softball that will be especially tailored for the occasion.

The day concludes with a contra dance in the historic Nelson Town Hall. All dances will be taught by caller Steve Zakon-Anderson, and everyone is welcome regardless of experience.