One of the most charming small towns in America has to be Doylestown, Bucks County and if you thought it was a special place before, wait until you see all of the celebrations taking place over the next few days commemorating the Memorial Day Holiday and our County Seat Bicentennial. 

I have always felt very privileged to have our Nejad Oriental Rug Gallery right in the center of town at Main and State Streets.  For almost thirty years, I have had a front row seat to enjoy all of the town’s wonderful seasonal festivities and talk with the many out of town visitors about the rich history of Doylestown and our treasure trove of cultural attractions.

For this very special Memorial Day and Bicentennial, the Doylestown community of residents and business owners really came together to create numerous events for the entire family to enjoy. Kicking off the long weekend is an exciting 2012 5K Race through Doylestown with an expected eight hundred runners showing off their patriotic spirit by wearing the colors of red, white and blue.

One of the major highlights of the celebration is Doylestown’s Memorial Day parade.  The oldest Memorial Day Parade in the country, for 144 years spectators have honored the soldiers who sacrificed so much to serve our great country.  My father and uncle were both World War II veterans and this parade has always been a proud and emotional event for me.

Also not to be missed activities include a very interesting lecture at The Doylestown Historical  Society discussing the Native American Alliance of Bucks County and The Lenape Nation, a fascinating slide presentation at the County Theater by Milton Rutherford and a talk by Bob Goodman portraying President Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 presented at Puck’s located at Printers Alley.

 For those longing for a bit of nostalgia, you can attend Doylestown’s antique car show at Font Hill Museum, a special art exhibition at the Gratz Gallery featuring paintings of the changing landscape of Bucks County and a 200 Years of Fashion event at Eldie Mansion.  We’ll even have a “Best Old Time Moustache” contest resurrecting the men’s style of the day.

You can also discover Doylestown by guided Horse and Buggy Rides, taking you back to the turn of the century when riding in carriages was the way to get around town.  Or if you prefer to go it on foot, you can join one of the Crossroads and Courthouse walking tours to learn about Doylestown’s architecturally important historic buildings.  Also not to be
missed is The James Lorrah Memorial home built in 1844, opening its doors and welcoming visitors to explore the birthplace of renowned archaeologist and historian Henry Mercer.

Nejad Oriental Rug Gallery is in located in one of Doylestown’s oldest and most important architectural historic buildings dating back to 1833.  As part of the celebration, we will have on display numerous magnificent handmade oriental antique rugs form the turn of the century and we will offer talks about the interior decorating styles of the day.

I hope you and your family take advantage of many of the above events and enjoy all of the best Doylestown has to offer!