STRATHAM — A yard sale may have brought many to town Saturday, but participants helped prepare for the town's upcoming tri-centennial celebration in 2016.

Peggy Mullin, a member of the 300th Anniversary Committee, said crowds of shoppers started arriving Stratham Hill Park around 8 a.m., an hour before the event was to begin, to catch a sneak peak on the yard sale items, including flowers, plants, jewelry, tools, clothes, hand-made blankets and pillows and books.

“I think the weather helped,” Mullin said, recalling how it was cold and rainy during the last yard sale 18 months ago.

Pat Sapienza, who serves on the committee and is the president of the historical society, said it was apparent early in the day that more people were taking part of the fundraiser — either as one of the 25 vendors or as a shopper.

For organizers, it was a good way to get more people involved in upcoming fundraisers, including the town's first marathon, co-sponsored by the Stratham Park Association on Labor Day, and bringing the U.S. Navy Orchestra to perform at Exeter High School for Veterans Day, according to John Dold, who serves on the committee.

“We'll continue to do stuff each year until it's 2016,” Dold said, adding the fundraisers provide “seed money” for other events while helping offset costs for the big celebration — especially efforts to update the town's history.

Dold said 10 volunteers are scouring records, news clippings and other sources from the 20th century to help a historian add to the existing record, which recalls the town's history from the 1600s to 1900.

As part of the update, Dold said the group plans to interview and record the oral history from 15 older residents.

To further spread the word about fundraisers and the upcoming celebrations, Dold said the committee plans to place large metal road signs at the main streets to announce the tri-centennial.

“We're very excited — we want to get people excited,” Dold said, adding there's still a lot of work to do.

Dold said about half of the committee can trace their family's roots back to the 17th century. He added it's nice to work with people who are enthusiastic about the town's heritage.

For Flossie Wiggins, also a member of the committee, the tri-centennial is also a celebration of her family's history — Thomas Wiggins was one of the first settlers who arrived in the 1600s. As Thomas' children each had 10 kids of their own, the family has been part of the community ever since.

“I've been in town for 79 years,” Wiggins said with no small amount of pride. “My grandfather bought my home in 1926.”

Volunteer Shirley Lakin helped spread local pride in by selling 300th anniversary ball caps, polo shirts and denim shirts during the yard sale

“I think it's going to be great,” Lakin said.

While organizers plan to have a big 300th anniversary celebration July 4, 2016, Dold said other events will help lead up to it or be held afterwards as part of the year-long event. As a result, there's plenty of work to do in the next four years, especially a great deal of fundraising to pay for the multiple events, he added.

Town Accountant Valerie Kemp, who was selling jewelry Saturday, said now is the time for the community to start getting involved.

“I know they're really desperate for volunteers,” Kemp said.

For more information, visit the 300th Anniversary Committee's page on the town's website, strathamnh.gov, or find updates about the celebration on its Facebook page.