Rye Christmas parade has added 400th features

RYE − A candlelight stroll and other activities will be added to the Dec. 4 Christmas parade this year in honor of the town's upcoming 400th anniversary.

The annual holiday parade is a long honored tradition in town.

The town of Rye Holiday parade is funded by the citizens of Rye and has been managed for many years by Lt. Chuck Gallant of the Rye Fire Department.

"I am not sure anyone knows how long the parade has been happening - forever," said Gallant. "It has been around since before me, at least 20-plus years. For many years, the parade was funded by the Rye Fire Association, the VFW, and the Rye Lions. A few years ago, we asked the town to take it over and now they fund it."

This year's events are set for Sunday, Dec. 4, from 3 to 6 p.m., said Lewis Karabatsos of the Rye 400th Committee. He said the additional events are being sponsored by Tate and Foss.

"The parade will start at Webster at Rye as always," said Karabatsos. "It will continue to the town center where from about 3:45 to 5:15 p.m., Santa will visit with the kids and there will be hot chocolate, served at Rye Junior High School."

New this year is a candlelight stroll. Karabatsos said everyone will get an LED candle and do a walking visit of historic properties in the town center.

"We will have people to talk about the history of each house," he said. "They will learn about the architecture of the homes. We will talk about the family who built each property and what they did in town."

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Carolers will be strolling the town center, from the Rye Congregational Church Choir and St. Theresa's Rockingham Choral Society.

"After the stroll everyone will return to Parsons Field," said Karabatsos. "We will do more caroling and have the lighting of the Christmas tree."

Rye historic properties in candlelight stroll

The Rye 400th Committee will highlight the following properties during the stroll:

Town Museum, 10 Old Parish Road (c. 1930). Formerly Mildred Wilson’s Antique Shop, itwas previously located where the library entrance is now. It opened as the museum in 2002.

Rye Public Library, 581 Washington Road (c.1911). Built in the Greek-Revival style, theoriginal building was made possible when the land and money ($7,500) for a library weredonated by Mary Tuck Rand. Rye was the last town in Rockingham County to have a library.

James Marden House, 570 Washington Road (c.1800). With its Georgian-style hip roof, Albert M. Walker, a blacksmith and representative (1873-1874), lived here according to an1892 map. He was married in 1850.

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Arthur C. Walker House, 562 Washington Road (c.1906). Arthur, a grocer, purchased a lotfrom his uncle, Albert M. Walker, to build this New-Englander-style home on land on which theWalker General Store was located.

Walker General Store, 566 Washington Road (c. 1870). In the 1920s, this Cape-stylestructure became the Jenness Store with the post office and gas pumps.

Christian Church Parsonage, 556 Washington Road (c. 1897). It was built as aNew-Englander-style parish house for the Christian Church. The church was dismantled andmoved to Billerica, MA in 1947.

William Berry House, 546 Washington Road (c. 1725). William, a selectman in 1738, gavehis Center-Chimney Colonial-style home and farm to his son, Jeremiah Berry, who then passedit on to his son, Levi. Today, it’s also known as the Eliza Ann Walker Farm.

541 Washington Road (c. 1954). A 1-½- story Cape-style home.William Trefethen House at 540 Washington Road (c.1812). Built in 1812 by WilliamTrefethen, this farmhouse was built on the site of a 1745 home that burned. Later, the home wasoccupied by the Berry family, who also owned the 1725 house next door.

Simon Goss Store, 2 Lang Road (c. 1805). When the structure was first built as a store onthe first floor and a large dance floor on the second floor, it was closer to the corner of Lang andWashington Roads. It was moved back in the 1960s, when the town widened Lang Road.

Parsons Home, 521 Washington Road (c.1790). The Center-Chimney, Colonial-stylestructure had, in its front yard, Rye’s first-recorded store, opened by school teacher JohnCarroll. The building was moved to the Rand property where the business continued.

Marden/Parsons Homestead, 520 Washington Road (c. 1757). The Center-Chimney, Colonial-style home is on the National Register of Historic Places. The land was originally purchased in 1757 by Samuel Parsons (1707-1789), and then passed on to his son, Captain Joseph Parsons (1746-1832), who was a doctor and captain in the Revolutionary War.

Keep up with all the Rye400 happenings at ryenh400.org or follow themon Facebook and Instagram (@rye400) and soon on the NextDoor Neighborhood app.Questions? Contact ryenh400@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Rye NH Christmas parade has added 400th anniversary special events