On Saturday, Feb. 18, Northfield’s Family Fun Day begins with indoor events at the Northfield Elementary School, 104 Main St., from 9 a.m. to noon with songs and stories by storyteller Roger Tincknell, a “Birds of Prey” demonstration by raptor expert Tom Ricardi, and other activities. The school’s PTO will offer snacks for sale.

The fun continues in the afternoon with outdoor winter activities hosted by First Light Power Resources at the Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center, 99 Millers Falls Road, Northfield. Activities include horse-drawn wagon rides, a campfire, s’mores and hot cocoa, plus self-guided tours of the Visitor Center Museum courtesy of First Light Power Resources, owner of the facility.

On Sunday, Feb. 19, Northfield 350th Anniversary and Historic Deerfield will present archeologist and historian Peter Thomas, who will give a presentation on the earliest inhabitants of the land now known as Northfield, titled “The Sokoki: Their Response to Colonization and Their Role in Northfield’s Beginning.” The program takes place at 2 p.m. at Trinitarian Church, 147 Main St., Northfield.

Thomas has studied and published the complex interactions among the Native and white settler communities throughout the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts and Vermont during the 17th century for more than three decades. He has been a research director and consultant to the federal government. His talk is one of several programs in the 350th-anniversary calendar that focus on the indigenous people who occupied the land for 16,000 years prior to colonization. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall of the church featuring memorabilia from Northfield’s 300th anniversary in 1973.

All Kickoff Weekend events are free and open to the public. For more information and a complete list of anniversary activities throughout 2023, sponsors, and donors, visit www.northfield350.org.

SIGNATURE EVENTS

• Kickoff Opening Ceremony: February 18 – Winter activities, bonfire
• Pioneer Valley Symphony: Friday, June 23 – Northfield Golf Course Pavillion
• Anniversary Parade: Saturday, September 30 – Pageantry down Main Street
• Fireworks Finale: Saturday, September 30 – Northfield Drive-In, food, fun, fireworks