Exeter Shines in Our Hometown Episode Premiering November 13 on NHPBS

Durham, NH (November 6, 2025) – What do the Lincoln Memorial, oval tables and a UFO Festival have in common? They all have unique connections to Exeter, New Hampshire, and they’re just three of the topics covered on OUR HOMETOWN: EXETER, premiering Thursday, November 13^th at 9 p.m. on New Hampshire PBS. The half-hour special features stories from several Exeter residents; they paint a picture of a bustling riverside community that’s been fertile soil for new ideas throughout its history.

OUR HOMETOWN host Rebecca Rule said the series’ goal is to record stories from every city and town in New Hampshire. “These towns are full of stories, many of them unknown beyond the borders—or even within. To go into a town, talk with the folks and hear their stories is like opening a treasure chest.”

As the United States prepares for the 250^th anniversary of the nation’s founding, OUR HOMETOWN producers felt Exeter was the natural choice for the series’ next installment.

“As the state’s Revolutionary War-time capital, it was the first place that the Declaration of Independence arrived in New Hampshire,” said producer Schuyler Scribner. “I knew what a quaint New England town it was, with a classic Main Street, but I knew little of the history.”

Exeter’s connections to America’s iconic symbols would be continued by one of its most famous sons—sculptor Daniel Chester French, who crafted the seated Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. French was born in Exeter and later gifted a World War I memorial to the town.

The town is also home to Phillips Exeter Academy, where an oval table called the Harkness table is the center of every classroom. The tables are meant to foster discussion and, when they were instituted in the 1930s, they marked a bold departure from traditional lectures. “Everybody has an equal voice, everybody can be heard,” said educator Rob Richards.

That open-minded spirit can also be found in the decision to start the Exeter UFO Festival in 2009. When the local Kiwanis Club was looking for a creative fundraising idea, one member mentioned The Incident at Exeter, a reported 1965 UFO sighting by Norman Muscarello on Route 150, which was responded to by Exeter police.

“They sent Officer Bertram back to Route 150 with Muscarello, and by cracky! The thing was still there,” recounted Kiwanis Club volunteer Pam Gjettum.

While local businesses were initially wary, the UFO festival has come to be embraced by downtown Exeter. “Now, the windows are just fabulous, and stores try to outdo each other,” said Gjettum.

The half-hour special features nine stories; the remaining stories will be produced as short videos to view online. Viewers are encouraged to go to the OUR HOMETOWN: EXETER website to watch the stories and share them with their families, friends and neighbors.

OUR HOMETOWN: EXETER will premiere on NHPBS on Thursday, November 13th at 9 p.m. on New Hampshire PBS with multiple airdates on NHPBS and NHPBS EXPLORE. The episode can also be streamed online at nhpbs.org/hometown/exeter and on the PBS App.

The OUR HOMETOWN series premiered in 2015 with a focus on Peterborough, followed by shows about Colebrook, Stratham, Wolfeboro, Milford, Littleton, Conway, Ashland, Nottingham, Nashua, Berlin, Plymouth and Warner. The series explores the vibrant culture, commerce, history and people of New Hampshire's towns and cities.

Support for OUR HOMETOWN: EXETER is provided The Eppes-Jefferson Foundation, Road Scholar, RiverWoods Group and Kennebunk Savings Bank.

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