The Monadnock Region possesses everything New England, from picturesque  historic villages settled in the 1700s to the rugged granite of Mount  Monadnock. Our town commons, glorious churches, and pristine water all echo  the rural calm that gives this region its nickname, "The Quiet Corner."  But don't let that calming quiet fool you. During any given month of the year, you can count on something unique taking place in any of our twenty towns. 

Temple is a quaint New England village situated around a town common. The Birchwood Inn, located opposite the common, has been feeding  and housing weary travelers since the late 1700s, and proudly displays  Rufus Porter murals on its dining room walls. Temple is also home to the  Temple Band, the nation's oldest town band, which performs during the  Harvest Festival in September and the Memorial Day celebration, which is  held the Sunday after Memorial Day. Each New Year's Day, the village green  in Temple is bustling with the excitement of the Peanut Butter Chip road  race, and on any winter day, the Temple Mountain Ski Area is the place to  be for downhill and cross-country skiing. 

Greenville is anything but quiet on the 3rd of July, with fireworks at 11:30 and the annual Pots and Pans Parade taking place at midnight. On the  4th of July, Greenville hosts an unusual parade of decorated bikes and doll carriages.  Like many towns in the Monadnock Region, Greenville pays tribute to its veterans on Memorial Day with a parade and events throughout the town. 

As yankee as the Monadnock Region is, Mason can proudly boast being home to the real Uncle Sam. Also located in Mason are Parker's Maple Barn, where pancakes and real NH maple syrup are the speciality, and Pickity Place, which was the inspiration for the original Little Red Riding Hood tale. 

The year 2000 marks the 250th birthday celebration in the town of New Ipswich. Major events are scheduled almost monthly throughout 1999, all  centered around the theme, "Remember, Celebrate, and Imagine." The  Children's Fair, an annual event for nearly 150 years, will be held in  August at the Congregational church and will feature fun activities for  children, a rummage sale, and more. New Ipswich is also home to Windblown  Ski Touring Center. 

Located on the western ridge of Temple Mountain, Sharon, with only 300  residents, is the smallest of the communities in the region. Sharon is best known for the Sharon Arts Center, which offers classes in many art forms and a gallery that features a variety of high-quality art exhibits year 'round. Special events include a wine tasting on the Friday before Valentine's Day, a members' exhibit in the spring, and more. 

Jaffrey is home to Mount Monadnock, the second most climbed mountain in the  world, as well as to the Shattuck Inn golf course, one of the most  challenging courses in New England. While sports pursuits abound in Jaffrey, Silver Ranch Airpark hosts the annual Festival of Fireworks,  attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year for this truly  spectacular fireworks extravaganza. Jaffrey Center is the resting place of  well-known novelist Willa Cather and freed slave, Amos Fortune. The Amos  Fortune Lecture Series is held each summer in Jaffrey Center. 

The town of Rindge offers plenty of boating and fishing on its many ponds  and lakes. Franklin Pierce College, located on Pearly Pond, is a four-year  liberal arts college with a full calendar of cultural and sporting events.  Each year the town of Rindge holds a Harvest Festival on the Saturday  before Columbus Day, featuring a crafts sale, flea market, and pumpkin  weigh-in. Rindge is also the shopping mecca of the Monadnock Region, with  the area's largest department and grocery stores. 

Fitzwilliam is a perfectly picturesque New England village, with its grand  steepled church overlooking the village green. An antiques auction takes  place each July. And the main attractions in town include the Fitzwilliam  Inn, located on the green, and Rhododendron State Park, a great place for  picnicking and hiking. 

Just up Rt. 119 from Fitzwilliam is the mill town of Troy, which will hold  its 24th annual Arts Festival in July of 2000. This event includes a  barbecue and concert on Friday, with crafts, entertainment, and more  planned for the day-long festival on Saturday. Troy is also home to the Inn  at East Hill Farm, a terrific rest stop for hikers as it's located just  about a mile west of the popular Old Toll Road hiking trail on Mount  Monadnock. 

The seemingly quiet town of Peterborough is really the hub of activity in the Monadnock Region. Here the MacDowell Colony provides quiet solitude to artists from all over the world, opening its grounds only once a year in  mid-August, when crowds flock to celebrate Medal Day, when a world-renowned artist receives the prestigious MacDowell Medal. The music lover can find music of all types being performed right in Peterborough. The Peterborough Folk Music Society presents more than a dozen folk concerts a year and Monadnock Music has brought the sounds of Chamber music to Peterborough since 1966.The New Hampshire Symphony graces  the stage of the Town House for Classical concerts in November and  February. Another Peterborough-based organization is Monadnock Chorus and  Orchestra, which encourages community participation. Concerts are held in December and May, with registration in September and February.  An event for the entire family is Children and the Arts Day. Held each year  in Peterborough in May, this event draws crowds from all over to its Parade  of Giant Puppets. Summer theatre at its best can be found at The  Peterborough Players from June to August.  Peterborough is also a wonderful place for Christmas shopping. Area churches team up for a Holiday Stroll, and just after Thanksgiving the Sharon Arts Center Downtown store puts on its holiday finest with fun,  festivities, and its usual fare. 

Sitting on a ledge of Mount Monadnock, Dublin has the highest elevation of  any town in the Monadnock Region.  Visitors to the area are most impressed  with the ride through Dublin on Rt. 101, which skirts the perimeter of Dublin Lake, showing off Mount Monadnock just to the south. But Dublin is perhaps best known as home to Yankee Magazine and The Old Farmer's Almanac, published from a group of red clapboard buildings in the center of town.  Yankee is also the site of the summertime Yankee Barn Sale and Craft Fair.  Another unique event in the region is the annual Dublin Gas Engine Meet, sponsored by the Dublin Fire Department and the Granite State Gas and Steam  Engine Association. This fun event is held each September at Cricket Hill  Farm just east of Dublin on Rt. 101. 

Hancock is a small New England village that looks like it's been preserved from days gone by. And it's no wonder, since this town, named for John Hancock, is rich in tradition and history. The downtown area is dominated  by the 200-year old Hancock Inn, the oldest operating inn in the country,  and the town meeting house has a bell that's said to be cast by Paul  Revere. The Hancock Cash Market is the only store in town, and just as in  days gone by, it's a place where locals meet and greet as they pick up  their mail from the tiny post office. Old Home Day is a big event each  summer in Hancock, with a parade, chicken barbecue, water games at Norway  Pond, and a performance by the Temple Band. 

Just to the east of Hancock is the tiny mill town of Harrisville. This  entire town is designated as a National Historic Landmark, with its brick buildings and well-maintained homes dotting the edges of a pond in the town  center. Its beauty and serenity attract photographers and artists, as well  as hikers, bicyclists, and other outdoor enthusiasts. As in many small New England towns, Old Home Day, held in August, brings together townspeople, former residents, and visitors for a day of fun, feasts,and festivities. 

Greenfield is home to Greenfield State Park, a popular camping and waterfront area. Greenfield's Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center is a preparatory school that focuses on disabled children and adults. Residents from throughout the Monadnock Region take swimming lessons and enjoy family swim times in the beautiful pools at Crotched Mountain. A popular annual event in Greenfield is a blues barbecue, held at the end of August in Oak Park. This festival attracts people from all around with its top-notch  lineup of Blues groups and mouth-watering chicken barbecue. 

Movie buffs in the Monadnock Region make regular treks to the Town Hall Theater in Wilton, where the best foreign and American films are shown in  two old-style cinemas that offer an abundance of ambiance. Not  surprisingly, one of the major events in Wilton is an Arts & Film Festival,  held the last weekend in May. Wilton is also home to Andy's Summer Theater,  which puts on children's plays with casts made up entirely of children. And  like other towns in the Monadnock Region, Wilton holds an Old Home Day in August. Other activities in town take place at Pine Hill and High Mowing Schools, both Waldorf preparatory schools located on a hillside overlooking downtown Wilton. 

Bennington, a little town on the Contoocook River, is the site of Monadnock Paper Mills, one of the oldest paper manufacturers in the United States.  Also found in Bennington are excellent restaurants, an old-style garage, and townspeople with incredible New England hometown pride. Old Home Days  is a three-day event in Bennington, complete with a Civil War encampment, fireworks, bonfire, parade, street dance, mountain bike race, and more. 

Sitting between Bennington and Greenfield on Rt. 47 is Francestown, with  its array of beautiful historic homes dotting both sides of Main Street.  The Francestown Village Store is reminiscent of old-time general stores in this quiet, restful residential town. But Francestown springs to life on  Labor Day weekend with a parade of homemade floats, a five-mile road race,  mud volleyball, rummage sale, and booths and entertainment for children.  Tory Pines inn, tavern, golf course, and ski touring center is located just  west of Francestown. 

Antrim is another small mill town that seems the most unlikely location for one of New England's hottest blues clubs. But the Rynborn attracts national acts and loyal fans year round. The Wool Room in Antrim is one of the stops featured on the annual fall Wool Arts Tour, when the public can tour area  farms, watch spinning and weaving demonstrations, and enjoy the splendor of  fall in the Monadnock Region. 

The Monadnock Region's northernmost town is also one of its oldest.  Hillsborough lies at the busy intersection of rts. 9 and 202, just north of Antrim. The town claims to have the largest collection of stone arch  bridges in New England, one of the most photographed located at Gleason Falls. A special highlight of the year is the annual Hillsborough Balloon Festival, when hot air balloons take to the skies in mid-July. Hillsborough also proudly displays the home of Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States and the only president from New Hampshire. 

From music to theatre to zany madcap fun, the twenty towns that make up the Monadnock Region offer it all. But the real magic of the area  is that we have all this going on, while preserving the pristine pleasures we all relish in our rural countryside.