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The first time my parents let me go downtown with my friends during the Yankee Homecoming Sidewalk Sales, I felt like I’d been handed the keys to Newburyport.
I had a few dollars in my pocket, a list of stores I wanted to visit, and the freedom to spend the afternoon wandering State and Pleasant Streets with my friends. Looking back, my parents probably knew exactly where we’d end up. But to us, it felt like independence.
That was one of the gifts Yankee Homecoming gave my generation.
Like so many local families, we measured summer not by the calendar, but by Yankee Homecoming.
I remember waiting for the parade and laughing as the Shriners drove their tiny cars down High Street. I remember looking up in amazement as a high-wire performer crossed above Bartlet Mall, wondering how anyone could possibly be so fearless. I remember summer concerts at Newburyport High School, cheering at the charity softball games featuring the Bruins Alumni, and returning year after year to traditions like the Canoe Tilt, the Muster, the pancake breakfast, and the chicken barbecue.
At the time, I simply thought the magic appeared.
I didn’t realize that hundreds of volunteers were quietly working behind the scenes—not for recognition, but because they loved this community and wanted families like mine to create memories together.
Looking back, I realize my understanding of community began long before I was born.
My grandfather, Daniel Appleton Sr., grew up in Newburyport and spent his summers on Plum Island. He remained involved in the community throughout his life, including with the Newburyport Art Association. One family story still makes us smile: he contributed his tuna casserole recipe to one of the Art Association’s community cookbooks.
It may seem like a small thing, but perhaps that’s exactly the point. Communities aren’t built only through grand gestures.
They’re built through neighbors sharing their time, their talents, their traditions — and sometimes even their favorite recipes.
My father, Dr. Daniel Appleton, shared that same love for Newburyport. In 1974, he had the privilege of serving as General Chair of Yankee Homecoming. As a child, I didn’t fully appreciate what that meant. Today, I understand it represented countless volunteer hours and a commitment to giving other families the chance to create memories like mine.
None of us knew those summers were becoming the stories we’d tell decades later.
This year, as I attend my 40th high school reunion, Newburyport celebrates its 175th anniversary, and our nation marks its 250th. It’s impossible not to think about how quickly the years have passed. Many of the classmates I’ll see this summer once wandered those same Sidewalk Sales with me, laughed at the Shriners in the parade, and stood beneath the high-wire act in Bartlet Mall. We didn’t realize then that we were creating the memories we’d still be talking about four decades later.
Years matter. History matters.
But what endures are the traditions we pass on, the memories we create, and the people who share them with us.
When I was asked to serve as the 2026 General Chair of Yankee Homecoming, choosing this year’s theme came surprisingly easily.
Home Sweet Home.
To me, home isn’t simply a place on a map.
It’s hearing familiar music on a warm summer afternoon.
It’s seeing neighbors stop to catch up on the sidewalk.
It’s watching today’s children experience the same excitement I once felt, knowing that years from now they’ll tell their own stories about Yankee Homecoming.
For nearly 70 years, this festival has brought people together—not just to attend events, but to create memories that become part of a family’s story.
My hope is that this week you’ll slow down, spend time with family and friends, support our local businesses, thank a volunteer, and make one more memory.
Because the festival lasts only a week. But the memories…
Those last a lifetime.
Carole Appleton
2026 General Chair, Yankee Homecoming
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