Battle Road 2012 Events - March and April 2012

Unless noted, there is no charge to attend any of the events below. Event which have already occurred are posted in gray text.

See 236th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington for a list of last year's Patriots Day events in Lexington, Massachusetts.. The 2012 program will be similar and will be posted here as soon as it is available.

• Boston Massacre Re-Enactment - Saturday, March 10 2012 at 7:00 pm at the Old State House, Boston. Further information will be posted on the Bostonian Society Calendar.

• Dress Rehearsal for the Battle on Lexington Green - Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 2:00 pm on the Battle Green, Lexington Center
  This is the dress rehearsal for the Patriots Day reenactment of the skirmish of April 19. 1775. Rain date: Sunday, April 8, 2012 at 2:00 pm
  Contact: Lexington Minute Men via email.

• Three Events April 7th:
• Bedford Parade and Pole Capping - Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 10:30 am at Wilson Park in Bedford
  Minutemen from throughout New England will convene on the Town Common and march with fife and drum down The Great Road to Wilson Park to watch the official Pole Capping tradition. A minuteman will proclaim freedom by shinnying up a 25-foot pole and placing a red cap atop it.
  Contact: The Bedford Minuteman Company.
• Meriam's Corner Exercise - Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 1:00 pm at Meriam's Corner, Lexington Rd., Concord
  The town of Concord, joined by area minute companies and Minute Man National Historical Park, commemorate the fight at Meriam's Corner that sparked the six-hour running battle back to Boston.
  Contact: Minute Man National Historical Park
• Paul Revere Capture Ceremony - Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 3:00 pm, Paul Revere Capture Site of Minute Man National Historical Park, Route 2A, Lincoln. The Lincoln fife and drum corps, Lincoln Minute Men, the Middlesex County Volunteer Fifes and Drums, the Middlesex County 4-H Fifes and Drums, and town officials observe the historic capture of Paul Revere.
  Contact: Lincoln Minute Men

• Barrett Homestead - Sunday April 8, 2012 from noon to 4:00 pm - Volunteers are needed to help spruce up Barrett House & premises for Open House. Tasks will include: Inside - thorough cleaning (washing, sweeping, vacuuming), etc.; Outside - raking, branch removal, signage, safety barriers, etc. Your help would be MOST appreciated.A call ahead of time would be appreciated, but not necessary.  Please contact: Jim Cunningham at jim@saveourheritage.com  or 781-259-0466 or (339) 223-3677 or Kati Winchell at kati@saveourheritage.com or 978-369-6662

• BATTLE ROAD EVENTS SATURDAY April 14th, 2012:
• Tentative: Commemoration of the Concord Conflict at the North Bridge - Saturday, April 14, 2011 at 8:30 am, Minute Man National Historical Park, Monument Street, Concord
  The peace of the Concord countryside will once more be shattered by the sounds of marching feet and musket fire as British and colonial reenactors, park rangers and volunteers bring the fateful morning of April 19, 1775 to life in this stirring commemoration of the first time that colonists were ordered to fire upon British soldiers that became known as "the shot heard 'round the world."
  Contact: Minute Man National Historical Park
• Battle Road Event at the Hartwell Tavern historical area - Saturday, April 14, 2012 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at Minute Man National Historical Park, Route 2A, Lincoln. This is the largest Battle Road event and features hundreds of British and Colonial re-enactors encamped at the Hartwell Tavern and Captain William Smith house, both part of Minute Man National Historical Park. There will be drill and musket demonstrations, 18th century artillery demonstrations, crafts, games and more! This event offers you a chance to get up close and talk with the re-enactors about 18th century life. The highlight of the day will be a massed tactical weapons demonstration running over a half-mile of the original Battle Road starting at 11:00 am. Parking is at designated National Park sites along route 2A and at the Lincoln North office park, Old Bedford Road.
  Contact: Minute Man National Historical Park
• Barrett Homestead - Saturday, April 14, 2012 from noon to 4:00 pm - Volunteers are needed to help spruce up Barrett House & premises for Open House. Tasks will include: Inside - thorough cleaning (washing, sweeping, vacuuming), etc.; Outside - raking, branch removal, signage, safety barriers, etc. Your help would be MOST appreciated.A call ahead of time would be appreciated, but not necessary.  Please contact: Jim Cunningham at jim@saveourheritage.com  or 781-259-0466 or (339) 223-3677 or Kati Winchell at kati@saveourheritage.com or 978-369-6662
• Parker's Revenge Re-enactment - Saturday, April 14, 2012 at 1:00 pm near Fiske Hill, Lexington. The actions of Captain Parker's militia following the April 19, 1775 morning skirmish will be re-enacted. Contact: Lexington Minute Men or Minute Man National Historical Park.
• Tentative: Gallery Talk: "Sowing the Seeds of Liberty: Lexington and the American Revolution" - Saturday, April 14 at 2:00 pm at the National Heritage Museum, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington. Get the inside scoop on the tendencies and tensions in Lexington before the British marched into town on April 19, 1775. Join Museum staff in an exploration of life in this small community where ordinary people took extraordinary actions and shaped history as a result. Free.
• Tower Park Battle - Saturday, April 14, 2012 from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm at Munroe Tavern and Tower Park on Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington. A battle in the American Revolution will be demonstrated for the public in this natural amphitheatre site.
  Contact: Lexington Minutemen or the Tenth Regiment of Foot.

• SUNDAY April 15th:
• Tentative: Jason Russell House Battle Re-enactment - Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 1:30 pm: This year marks the 237th anniversary of the hostilities.The skirmish will be recreated at 2:00 pm on the grounds of the Jason Russell House, corner of Jason Street and Massachusetts Avenue, site of the original battle. Contact the Arlington Historical Society.
• Barrett Farm Open House - Sunday, April 15, 2012 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm: Come see the restoration in progress!  Our historic architect, timber framers, and others will be on hand for demonstrations and to answer questions. 448 Barrett's Mill Road, Concord MA (map).
• The Lincoln Salute: A Concert of 18th Century Fife & Drum Music - Sunday, April 15, 2012 from 1:45 pm to 3:30 pm, Pierce Park, Lincoln
  The Lincoln Minute Men will host a concert of 18th century fife and drum music including 18th century folk tunes from all the cultures of Europe and works by the major composers of the era. The Salute includes performances by the Fifes and Drums of the Lincoln Minute Men, 1st Michigan Fifes and Drums, the Bluff Point Quahog Diggers, the Middlesex County Volunteer Fifes and Drums, the Middlesex County 4-H Fifes and Drums, and other music groups.
  Contact: Lincoln Minute Men
• Robbins' Ride, Acton - Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 5:00 pm. This event celebrates the alarm being spread throughout the town of Acton by young 13 year old James Robbins, son of Captain Joseph Robbins. Horse and rider will make stops at the following places and times:
  • 5:00 pm at the Robbins' Homesite - soccer fields at bottom of Concord Rd.
  • 5:20 at the Isaac Davis Homestead - 39 Hayward Road
  • 5:50 at the Faulkner Homestead - 5 High St. in So. Acton (corner of Rte. 27) (Colonel Faulkner is roused from sleep and fires off 3 shots)
  • 6:00 at the Liberty Tree Farm - 24 Liberty St., also in South Acton
• Alarm & Muster of the Lincoln Minute Men - Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 7:00 pm, Lincoln Center
  The Lincoln Company of Minute Men will reenact that happened just after midnight on April 19, 1775. Captain William Smith will arrive by horse to ring the bell of the White Church and spread the alarm that the British Regulars are coming. The Lincoln Minute Men will muster to receive their orders for the march to Concord. The event will include a horse rider, historical explanations, colonial music, a musket salute, and lots of Revolutionary commotion.
  Contact: Lincoln Minute Men
• "In Their Own Words" - Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 8:00 pm, Pilgrim Congregational Church, 55 Coolidge Avenue in Lexington.
  A dramatic reading by lantern light of the events of April 17th and 19th, 1775, from period documents and writings from those who were there.
  Information and tickets: Call 781 862-1703 or email Lexington Historical Society
• Paul Revere's Arrival in Lexington - Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 11:00 pm at the Hancock/Clarke House on Hancock Street, Lexington, MA,
  1/8th mile west of Buckman Tavern and the Green. Contact: Lexington Historical Society

• PATRIOTS DAY MONDAY April 16th:
• Stow Minutemen Patriots Day Trail March - Monday, April 16, 2012 at 4:45 am in Stow
  The Stow Annual Trail March and Parade starts from Stow Lower Common. The air is cool and quiet, but not for long as the sounds of the fifes and drums and the firing of the muskets awaken the townsfolk along the route. The Minutemen arrive at the North Bridge around 9 am then join up with the Concord parade.
  Contact: Stow Minutemen
• Col. John Robinson Trail March - Monday, April 16, 2012 at 4:45 am in Westford
  Every year members of the Westford Colonial Minutemen walk the route travelled by the Westford militia and minute companies as they answered the alarm on April 19th, 1775. The public is in invited to join them in the 10-mile walk that ends at Concord's North Bridge.
  Contact: Westford Minutemen.
• The Battle on Lexington Green - Monday, April 16, 2012 at 5:30 am in Lexington center.
  This event recreates the historic skirmish in Lexington on the first day of the American Revolution. Following the ringing of the bell in the Old Belfry, members of the Lexington Training Band (now known as the Minutemen) gather on Lexington Green to await the column of British Regulars as they march into the town center. A shot rings out, the skirmish follows, and the British column marches on towards Concord leaving dead and wounded behind.
  Contact: Lexington Minutemen
• Pancake Breakfasts - Monday, April 16, 2012 in Lexington
  • St. Brigid Church, 2001 Massachusetts Avenue, sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 160. 6:00 am to 10:00 am. Nominal cost.
  • First Baptist Church, 1580 Massachusetts Avenue (across from the police station). 6:00 am to 10:00 am. Nominal cost..
  • Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam Street. 6:00 am to 9:00 am. Nominal cost.
• Isaac Davis March to Concord - Monday, April 16, 2012 at 6:00 am at the Isaac Davis Homestead, 37 Hayward Road, Acton. The Acton Minutemen will make their annual march to the North Bridge in Concord, arriving at 9:00 am, where they will fire a salute from the bridge to honor Isaac Davis and Acton's other fallen heroes. Contact: The Acton Minutemen
• Lincoln Minute Men March to Concord - Monday, April 16, 2012 at 6:45 am starting at the Town Cemetery on Old Lexington Road, Lincoln
  The Lincoln Minute Men will fire a musket salute to the patriots buried at the cemetery then begin their march along Sandy Pond Road toward Concord with colonial music and musket firing along the way.
  Contact: Lincoln Minute Men
• Tentative: Lexington Youth Parade - Monday, April 16, 2012 starting at 7:30 am in Lexington center.
  Contact: Lexington Town Celebrations Committee, 781 862-0500 x708
• Mourn Arms Ceremony at British Graves, North Bridge, Concord - Monday April 16, 2012, approximately 8:30 am: Prior to the Concord Parade, British Regulars will Mourn Arms and salute the fallen soldiers of the King's Own 4th Regiment of Foot at Old North Bridge.
• Concord's Patriots Day Parade - Monday, April 16, 2012 starting at 9:00 am in Concord Center.
  Contact: Concord Chamber of Commerce via email or at 978 369-3120.
• Barrett Farm Open House - Sunday, April 16, 2012 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm: Come see the restoration in progress!  Our historic architect, timber framers, and others will be on hand for demonstrations and to answer questions. 448 Barrett's Mill Road, Concord MA (map).
• Tentative: Arts and Crafts Activities exploring life in 1775 - Monday, April 16, 10:30 a.m.to 1:30 p.m. at the National Heritage Museum, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington. Free. Also - Visit the exhibition "Sowing the Seeds of Liberty: Lexington and the American Revolution," $5/family (members); $7/family (non-members).
• Paul Revere's Arrival at Lexington Green - Monday, April 16, 2012 1:00 pm in Lexington center
  Contact: Lexington Town Celebrations Committee, 781 862-0500 x708
• Ride the Patriots Day Trolley - Noon to 4pm. Park at Acton's Town Hall and ride on one of the three Patriots Day trolley to the Hosmer House, the Jones Tavern and the Faulkner Homestead to a day filled with entertainment, games, crafts, animals, 18th and 19th century demonstrators, storytellers, and tours of historic buildings. $5.00 per adult / $3.00 per child includes admission to historic properties and trolley ride. Contact and more info: Acton Historical Society.
• Lexington Patriots Day Parade - Monday, April 16, 2012 starting at 2:00 pm in East Lexington
  Contact: Lexington Town Celebrations Committee, 781 862-0500 x708

• THURSDAY April 19th:
• Sudbury March to Concord - Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 3:45 am in Wayland center and 5:45 am in Sudbury Center
  Show your fortitude and love of our history with this annual march through Wayland and Sudbury to Concord, arriving at the North Bridge at approximately 10:30 am. Contact: Sudbury Companies of Militia and Minute
• Dawn Salute at the North Bridge - Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 6:00 am at Minute Man National Historical Park, Monument Street, Concord
  The Concord Minute Men and the Concord Independent Battery observe the opening battle of the American Revolutionary War in a moving musket and cannon salute to America's past. Following this, at 7:30 am, join Park staff and volunteer for a wreath laying and historical speeches.
  Contact: Minute Man National Historical Park

• Tentative: "Battle Road Heroes" at the Hartwell Tavern - Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, Minute Man National Historical Park, Route 2A, Lincoln: You've watched the battle reenactments and the parades. Now you are invited to walk down a candle-lit path to the past. Listen to the personal stories of people who lived along the Battle Road on April 19, 1775. Join Captain William Smith, the Lincoln Minute Men, the Hartwells, drovers, musicians, and His Majesty's soldiers for this special evening of theater and history. Admission for "Battle Road Heroes" is $5.00 per person, $10.00 per family. Proceeds benefit the Minute Man National Park Association.
  Contact: Minute Man National Historical Park

• Revolutionary Graves Ceremony, Lincoln, MA - Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 2:00 pm , the Lincoln Minute Men will assemble at the Pierce House and at 2:30 pm march to the Town Cemetery on Old Lexington Road. The Minute Men will be accompanied by clergy, honored guests, and a contingent of British Regulars accompanied by a bagpiper. At 3:00 pm, there will be gravesite ceremonies honoring both the Lincoln patriots of the Revolution and the five British soldiers who were killed in Lincoln on April 19, 1775, and buried there. The ceremonies will include prayer, a commemorative speech, colonial music, and musket salutes. Following the ceremonies, the Minute Men and their guests will march back to the Pierce House, where refreshments will be served to all, courtesy of the Lincoln Historical Society. For further information, contact the Lincoln Minute Men at press@lincolnminutemen.org.

• "Pathway of the Patriots" - Saturday April 28, 2012 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
  The Woburn Militia presents "Pathway of the Patriots" at the Tarky School lot, Russell St, Woburn. The event will consist of several reenactments of Revolutionary stories. There will be demonstrations of 18th Century military and civilian life. Admission is free. The Tarky School lot is on Russell Street which runs from Lowell Street in Lexington to Cambridge Road in the Woburn's Four Corners.
  Contact and details: Woburn Militia