As soon as First Night chairman Brian Coughlin spoke to Lily Holloway's fourth grade class about Norton Has Talent, the 9 year old knew she wanted to be involved.

Lily, a student at Henri A. Yelle Elementary, was very eager to call Beth McManus, the coordinator of the talent show. She left a lengthy message on the phone, and patiently waited three days before getting a call back.

When Annemarie Holloway answered, McManus told Lily's mom how great of an idea Lily had. And so now Lily is opening the event with a story about time travel.

"Lily's dad is a history buff," Annemarie said. "When she said 'I want to do a story about time travel,' his face lit up."

"I'm going through all the history of Norton and the things that were there," Lily explained. "I'm going to pretend to meet King Philip and give him a heads up about the war."

Lily researched Norton's history through former teachers, field trips and speaking with residents who have a family history in the town.

While archaeology and history are her dad's strong suit, Lily gets the imagination gene from her mother's side. Her grandmother owns her own business as a storyteller.

Lily has followed suit and often tells her brothers and sister stories. Teachers also e-mail Lily's mom and tell her that she has a flair for writing. Lily even won a contest and got to read at her third grade graduation. But First Night may be her biggest venue yet.

"I feel really honored. It's very cool that I get to open this up. It's neat that the town is finally 300 years old."

The Holloways moved from S. Weymouth to Norton six years ago.

"As much as Norton changes and grows, it maintains a small town appeal," Annemarie said.

"Everything is so local and close. We can walk to almost all the schools," Lily said. She also likes that there are playgrounds for her siblings, barns and farms. "They are trying to keep that old town feeling."