The Friends of Madison Library have organized a not-to-be-missed Historic Barn Weekend, featuring a tour of seven barns in Madison that are at least 100 years old. This 2-day event will take place beginning on Friday, July 11 at 7 pm with a talk on New England barns by historian Bob Cottrell, and continue on Saturday, July 12, when seven local barns will be open for the tour from 10 am to 4 pm. To participate, you need a ticket, and tickets can be reserved at the library, or can be ordered online. Before July 1, tickets cost $15, after that they will be $20.
Beverly Thomas from the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance will be on site at one of the barns on July 12 to talk about historic barns, barn preservation and tax incentives in NH.
In addition to the tour, artists from the Mount Washington Valley Art Association have been creating artwork featuring Madison barns. These paintings, photographs and other items will be displayed in the library’s Chick Room beginning July 3. A silent auction will be held for the paintings, and bids can be made during library hours through the day of the Barn Tour.
Notecards with photo sketches of Madison Barns will be for sale during these events, and bag lunches will be available for tour participants to purchase at the library on Saturday, July 12.