Guilford Historical Society and Community Fitness mark milestones

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

  GUILFORD — Hot dogs, hayrides and reminiscing were all part of the Guilford Historical Society’s 30th anniversary last weekend, while Community Fitness observed its 10th birthday with an open house and live music by the classic rock band Palpitations.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    DECORATION TEAM — Cindy Woodworth, left; her husband, Brian and sister Pami Hall decorate the hay wagon in front of the Guilford Historical Society museum.

  “It’s good to see the whole town get together for a celebration,” said Gayle Worden, the executive director of Community Fitness. “We should do more of this.”
  The Guilford Historical Society Museum had a steady stream of visitors to look over the artifacts dating back to the town’s birth. The museum, built in 1825 by Addison Martin, was one of the first stores in the community. It later became Straw and Martin Insurance Agency, a bank branch for a few years, then Blake Insurance Company and eventually, the home of the museum in 1983.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    ZUMBA — The nice weather made it easy to do an outdoor Zumba demonstration at the Community Fitness open house. Pictured, from left, are Sherree Paradis, Lynette Hanscom, Gayle Worden and Wendy McKenney.

  Sieferd “Stubby” Shultz and his wife, Nena, have been active in the society for more than 20 years. “I was treasurer for 16 years and president for one term,” said Stubby Shultz. “I poured a lot of time into research, but I’m not as active as I used to be. I’d like to see more young people take an interest in the town’s history. We’re coming along, though – slowly but surely.”

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    LONGTIME OFFICERS — Nena Schultz and her husband, Sieferd “Stubby” Schultz, have been longtime members and officers of the Guilford Historical Society.

  Brian Woodworth serves as president today and his wife, Cindy, is the society’s secretary. While Cindy and her sister, Pami Hall, served as hostesses for the open house, Brian took dozens of youngsters and their families on hayrides through town. “All this food has been donated by members,” said Cindy Woodworth, showing off the plates of homemade fudge, zucchini bread, cookies and other free homemade snacks. “I’m really pleased so far. We’re getting a lot of first-time visitors.”
  As Palpitations rocked outside the Community Fitness Center, visitors checked out the free snacks, weight room, exercise bikes and other amenities at the former Guilford Primary School building. Worden and three fitness center members also conducted a lively Zumba demonstration, an exercise program using aerobics and hip-hop dance steps.
  To cap off the day, the Red Maple Inn hosted the Roy Hudson Band in a free outdoor concert from 4-8 p.m.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    ALL ABOARD — Driver Brian Woodworth gets ready for the first hayride at Saturday’s Guilford Historical Society Fall Festival.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    ROY HUDSON BAND — The festivities at the Guilford Historical Society Fall Festival capped off with music by the Roy Hudson Band outside of the new Red Maple Inn. Pictured, from left, are Leo Roy, Jake McCarthy, Doug Kothenbeutel (hidden by drums), Dan Hudson and Linda Roy.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    CARTOON CHARACTERS — Terri Moulton (top) and Lynette Hanscom ham it up in the cartoon cutout at the Community Fitness 10th anniversary open house.