Photo from the Main Street Parade - Date Unknown By James Wilson
Every small community has its own unique celebrations and Hillsborough is no different. One such celebration is Hillsborough Homecoming Days. Formerly known as Steeves Week, Hillsborough Homecoming Days grew out of the periodic family reunions the Steeves family had been holding for years. In 1966, perhaps due to how large the family had become or out of civic-mindedness, it was decided a week-long celebration would be held in Hillsborough and open to the whole community.
Every small community has its own unique celebrations and Hillsborough is no different. One such celebration is Hillsborough Homecoming Days. Formerly known as Steeves Week, Hillsborough Homecoming Days grew out of the periodic family reunions the Steeves family had been holding for years. In 1966, perhaps due to how large the family had become or out of civic-mindedness, it was decided a week-long celebration would be held in Hillsborough and open to the whole community.
While the Steeves family reunions had been originally held in the Autumn, Steeves Week was held in July. Perhaps travel was easier during that time of year? Perhaps they didn’t want to compete with the Albert County Exhibition? Who knows! But regardless of why it was held at that time it soon became a major celebration. Some events included baseball tournaments, basketball tournaments, golf tournaments, dart tournaments, doll carriage parades, Main street parades, photography contests, garden parties, cake walks, go cart races, community yard sale days, roast beef dinners, and a Miss Hillsborough pageant. One person mentioned a pet show being an event at one point and I swear one year I recall hearing someone mention an outhouse race.
In 1998 Hillsborough Homecoming Days was a 10 day event. However, trouble lay ahead. Lois Snider, who had for many years done much of the heavy lifting in organizing the event was unable to continue and by 2019 it was down to a single weekend of events. The pandemic nearly ended Homecoming Days outright but the Steeves Museum managed to keep the event on life support. Still, when I asked my nephew (who is graduating this year and lives in Hillsborough) what he remembers about Homecoming Days he replied he had never heard of it. Clearly, things were at a low ebb.
Which brings us to the good news; with a new group of volunteers taking the lead in organizing the celebration for 2024 it looks like Hillsborough Homecoming Days can start to make a recovery. Some of the volunteers were children in the 1990s and remember what Hillsborough Homecoming Days used to be like and want a similar experience for their kids. It will take some determination but we’ll get there.
Please see the 2024 calendar of events in this issue.
In 1998 Hillsborough Homecoming Days was a 10 day event. However, trouble lay ahead. Lois Snider, who had for many years done much of the heavy lifting in organizing the event was unable to continue and by 2019 it was down to a single weekend of events. The pandemic nearly ended Homecoming Days outright but the Steeves Museum managed to keep the event on life support. Still, when I asked my nephew (who is graduating this year and lives in Hillsborough) what he remembers about Homecoming Days he replied he had never heard of it. Clearly, things were at a low ebb.
Which brings us to the good news; with a new group of volunteers taking the lead in organizing the celebration for 2024 it looks like Hillsborough Homecoming Days can start to make a recovery. Some of the volunteers were children in the 1990s and remember what Hillsborough Homecoming Days used to be like and want a similar experience for their kids. It will take some determination but we’ll get there.
Please see the 2024 calendar of events in this issue.
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