Tricentennial oral-history project moves forward; commission to help recruit interviewees

Michelle Hokanson reported progress on the town tricentennial’s oral-history program. The commission and the tricentennial committee plan to record multiple interviews, with each tricentennial committee member conducting at least one interview. Southborough Access Media and volunteer Terry (from Sam) will handle recording and editing, and the interviews will be posted on YouTube.

Why it matters: collecting oral histories preserves community memory ahead of the 2027 tricentennial and creates a long-term archival resource for the town.

Details: Hokanson said the commission is recruiting candidates and preparing a standard set of questions; commissioners asked for candidate suggestions and offered to interview prominent local figures. The commission discussed partnering with Southborough Access Media for recording and with Framingham Historical Society for guidance on graveyard/voices project. Michelle’s subcommittee is pursuing interviews and a separate graves/voices subcommittee to document Revolutionary War veterans in the old burial ground; the commission expects outside help and a potential donor for memorial design work.

Decision vs. discussion: commissioners agreed to assist with recruitment, to use standardized questions, and to make the recordings publicly available via YouTube and town media. The commission did not allocate funding at the meeting; organizers will continue recruiting and scheduling interviews.

Next steps: commissioners will propose interview candidates by email and subcommittees will continue outreach to potential donors and partner organizations.