A trip down memory lane to 1960s Fairhaven!

The Fairhaven Sesquicentennial Parade that was filmed on Main St. in 1962!

“I inherited several 8mm films and photographs when my wife’s uncle passed away about 4 years ago. Only recently have I started going through these after acquiring an 8mm film scanner that I’m using to archive some of the old family footage.

I ran across one reel that I thought you would be interested in. It’s the Fairhaven Sesquicentennial Parade that was filmed on Main St. in 1962 in front of the Riverside Cemetery gates. Ted Kennedy walked in the parade as well. The film was in pretty bad shape and was not stored in an ideal climate. The film was brittle, missing sprocket holes and frequently broke. I did a frame by frame scan of the film and reassembled it in a video editor to try and preserve it.

The camera shake and frame jitter were so bad that I had to run it through image stabilization software. It’s not perfect but at least it’s watchable and one for the archives. I wonder how many other films are sitting in damp cellars!

Credit goes to the original photographer, the late Paul Keane of Mattapoisett.” – Tim Smith