Patriots’ Day weekend in Lexington was a celebration of history, democracy, and the American spirit. This year, the town organized numerous festivities to mark the occasion, including a few new events alongside the esteemed reenactments and the much-loved afternoon parade.
The weekend kicked off on Friday evening with some festivities outside of Cary Hall before the annual Awards Ceremony, during which the winners of the White Tricorne Hat Award, the Minuteman Cane Award, the Pat Flynn Outstanding Youth Award, and the Lexington Minute Men Scholarship received their awards. Afterwards, residents gathered outside of Cary Hall for the V025o Arch Lighting in recognition of community-wide volunteer service before heading over to the Hancock-Clarke House to watch the reenactment of Paul Revere’s midnight ride.
Saturday featured numerous long-standing town favorites beginning at 5:15am as hundreds gathered on the Battle Green to watch as reenactors recreated the infamous clash between the Minutemen Militia and the Regulars. There were numerous pancake breakfasts, the Lions Club’s annual road race, ceremonies to commemorate the role played by the U.S.S. Lexington ships and honors those who served, a Greek bake sale, the afternoon parade, and of course, the action-packed reenactment of the Battle at Tower Park. For the first time, the celebrations also included a reenactment at Munroe Tavern, showcasing the Munroe family evacuation and the British setting up a field hospital on the front lawn.
On Monday, the town welcomed the National Lancers as they completed their reenactment of the rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes, and Lexington History Museums brought everyone back in time for a day of living history; ceremonies were also held by DAR and at Ye Old Burial Ground. The weekend wrapped up on Tuesday morning when a group of hopeful Americans gathered on the Battle Green to to be formally naturalized as American citizens.
LexMedia staff provided accessible coverage of the celebrations to those who could not attend in person, broadcasting six events live and recording numerous others. Watch our coverage from the weekend below (click the button on the upper right of the video below to view and select videos in the playlist).
We’re endlessly thankful to the volunteers who joined us for the day, including our stellar photographer Jason Ross, the person responsible for our incredibly engaging and visually interesting photos from this year. Whether it was hosting the afternoon parade, manning a camera, or taking photographs – we couldn’t have done it without them! If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering with us, please reach out.
