No two towns are alike when it comes to running a Town Meeting, and Dunbarton is no exception.

For nearly 237 years, Dunbarton has held its annual Town Meeting on the second Tuesday in March, following voting for town officials earlier in the day.

According to Town Moderator Fred Mullen, approximately 20 years ago, the town did try to move the annual meeting, and moved it to a Saturday evening.

When only 20 people turned out for the meeting, it was changed to Saturday afternoon the following year. Again, only 20 people showed up.

“Everybody was saying, ‘I’m too busy on a Saturday.’ So we went back to the second Tuesday in March,” said Mullen.

Since that time, anywhere from 150 to 300 people come out for Town Meeting. According to Mullen, Town Meeting has never been postponed to his knowledge, not even during a snowstorm.

“When there’s a big item on the agenda is when a lot of people show up,” said Mullen. Two years back to back, SB-2, or the official ballot law, was petitioned, but that too, was defeated.

“We’re one of the unique towns (too),” said Mullen, “where we still have hog reeves as one of the official town positions.”

This position goes back to early New Hampshire townships, where voters would often elect the prissiest man in town to round up hogs that got loose and put them in the pound. Now, the newest married people in town are nominated to the position. “This was a trivia question on ‘Chronicle’ one night,” said Mullen.

Residents named hog reeves for 2008 are Karen and Tom Cusano, and Brian and Nicole Rae.

Mullen said there is even a fine on the books for loose hogs of 25 shillings, or roughly $2.80.

“Now, people normally call the Fire Department when there’s a problem,” Mullen laughed.