CHESHIRE, Mass. — The town will celebrate community and history on Saturday, July 12, during its inaugural Cheshire Hoedown event at the Community House, starting at 4 p.m.

 

The event is inspired by the Cheshire Block Parties and Summer Festival, which were organized by the Cheshire Community Association and have since been passed to the town. 

 

"I think Cheshire is all about community. We have the ice skating rink, and we try to do events that bring everybody together, and that's what this is as well," Town Administrator Jennifer Morse said. 

 

Corey McGrath, the town's facilities maintenance technician, highlighted how when he was younger, St. Mary's Church held a summer picnic that was popular with residents. 

 

"That was huge for me growing up, and I always wanted to see something like that come back and the Community Association did a great job with the block parties," he said. 

 

"I think this is just in the same line, just getting everybody out of their house, give them something to do, and have fun." 

 

The event will feature a range of family-friendly activities including mechanical bull riding, pony rides, a cornhole tournament, cow plop bingo, a ball drop fundraiser to benefit the Cheshire Police Association, live music by country and rock band Whiskey City, and more. 

 

Local businesses will also be on site, including the Berkshire Lodge of Masons' food truck, Two Sisters Mobile Spirits Bar, Patriot Kettle Popcorn, the Snack Shack's ice cream and Italian ice, and local craft and business vendors. 

 

The event also coincides with the unveiling of the newly refurbished Leland Park, which underwent extensive renovations funded by community donations and town contributions. 

 

A ceremony to rededicate the park to the Rev. John Leland will be held at 3 p.m., prior to the start of the hoedown. 

 

Leland, a Cheshire Baptist minister, played a crucial role in advocating for the separation of church and state and in helping James Madison add the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution, said Barry Emery, town historian. 

 

The renovation was "long overdue. Complaints of it being deteriorating was constant, so it's been on our wish list for a while now," McGrath said. 

 

"And it has finally come to fruition, with the help of the donors and the town allowing us to do it, the board of selectmen." 

 

The town of Cheshire invested approximately $30,000 in the project, the Lions Club donated $5,000, and an anonymous resident contributed $10,000. 

 

The park is home to the Cheese Press, which made the giant block of cheese the people of Cheshire gifted to President Thomas Jefferson in 1802. The Mammoth Cheese, which weighed 1,235 pounds, was commissioned by Leland immediately after the election of 1800 and he took charge of its delivery.

 

"It was an event that captured the attention of all 13 states, because I have newspaper articles in my book from all those different newspapers and even around the world who wrote articles about it, and in that park is a replica of the cheese press that was used to make the cheese," Emery said. 

 

The park's monument underwent masonry work, which was donated by Cantarella & Son Inc. 

 

The long-awaited park renovations also included the removal of trees, a new cobblestone walkway, new plantings, a redesigned landscape, and a new bench. 

 

Emery emphasized the significant influence that the "big cheese" had, an impact that continues to be felt today. 

 

He explained that the term "mammoth" was not initially used as an adjective to describe something large until after cheese was created. 

 

This shift occurred when people began using the word to express their disapproval of Jefferson's spending for research into woolly mammoths, Emery said and noted that during that time, Jefferson was referred to as the "mammoth president."

 

"The delivery of the large cheese resulted in it being referred to as the ‘mammoth cheese,' which helped popularize the use of 'mammoth' to mean something large," he said. 

 

During the event, Emery will roleplay as Jefferson to provide a glimpse into the history of the monument and the Mammoth Cheese, and will also distribute samples of cheese. 

 

Leland, born in the mid-18th century, was a well-known abolitionist and a significant figure in early American battles over religious liberty.   

 

He was one of the early settlers in Cheshire, founded its Baptist Church, and was a strong advocate of religious liberty. 

 

He was instrumental in supporting Madison's election to Congress while residing in Virginia and the development of 1st Amendment. Jefferson invited him to address Congress in 1802 on religious liberty.

 

Cheshire was the only town in Berkshire County to have voted for Jefferson; the rest went for Massachusetts' own John Adams.

 

In 2021, the town placed a replica of the giant cheese wheel beside the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail.

 

The sculpture contains information on the original cheese wheel, including its weight and the date it was presented to Jefferson (Jan. 1, 1802). On the back, the wheel reads, "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God."