American Revolution 250th celebrations begin in Lexington, Concord

As church bells rung out at a m people from all over stood in bravery knowing the danger they were about to encounter while remaining firm that they wouldn t be taken down After shots were fired in Lexington moments after daybreak the British headed to Concord where they d clash with colonists The day ended with Colonial militiamen either killed or wounded shaping the American Revolution that ultimately led to the nation s independence Thousands of people from all over flocked to the Lexington Green and Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord on Saturday taking in reenactments of the first fights of the Revolution while reflecting on the lessons of the momentous day years ago The downstream effects of what happened here in establishing America creating a vision of freedom and enabling the Declaration of Independence the Constitution everything that would come to pass are immeasurable Florida resident Eric Soskin informed the Herald as he got ready to march in Concord s morning parade It took people like you and me just ordinary people who were Minutemen everyone was a militia member in Concord in commented Soskin who has worked for all types of administration over the years He is in the present a senior adviser to Florida Gov Ron DeSantis At a m militiamen muskets in hand took on a large contingent of British regulars on the Lexington Green The battle ended with eight Americans killed and wounded the dead scattered on the grounds as the British marched off It s truly momentous noted Richard Howell who portrayed Lexington Minute Man Samuel Tidd in the battle This is one of the the greater part sacred pieces of ground in the country if not the world because of what it represents To represent what went on that day how a small town of Lexington was a vortex of so much Volunteer committees in both Lexington and Concord prepared for Saturday s festivities over the past limited years Reenactments parades and celebrations marked by specific protests against President Trump and his administration proved a success in the eyes of Concord co-chair Gary Clayton It has been going wonderfully Clayton explained the Herald in the town s center at about a m You ve got large crowds enthusiastic positive wonderful People are really enjoying themselves but in doing so understanding and respecting this holiday and what it means Reenactors dressed in colonial garb from a slew of Greater Boston towns Lincoln Bedford Westford Stow Sudbury among others joined by Scouts and marching bands from around the region all marched through the streets of Concord as tens of thousands lined the roads in festive decor Resident Rob Morrison who has lived in town for years and has visited other Concords across the country organized a group of what he called Concord Cousins Specific people representing Concords traveled to the suburban Massachusetts town to take in the day s celebrations coming from Minnesota Georgia New Hampshire and West Virginia to name a limited Concord means a peaceful agreement people coming together Morrison informed the Herald We re all from different parts of the country we ve got all different accents and political views but it didn t keep us from having a wonderful party last night we had a rocking time John Strickland and his wife Ginny came from Georgia having been to Boston before but making the trek to Concord for the first time this weekend Strickland is the mayor of Concord a small Georgian town of about people dotted with farmland Despite the differences in population and geography Strickland mentioned he deals with all the same issues present in Boston traffic problems and faulty sewer and water systems He smiled as he spoke of Saturday s significance When you studied it in grammar school middle school and that sort of thing he stated it kind of went over your head a little bit but veritably seeing it you really understand it Closer by Jenn Walton came from Concord N H She explained she encourages people from the Boston area to advance north to the Granite State for th celebrations there the bulk of which will be held in July It s such an amazing celebration of all of the possibilities for our nation Walton noted of how it felt meeting other Concordians Making all of these connections all over the country just a whole diverse group of people and it s inspiring to be altogether and share in this day Several signs and protests popped up throughout the day in Concord which has been labeled as one of Massachusetts sanctuary cities for its limited cooperation with federal immigration enforcement One sign in front of a home read Deny hate Defend a US President Deport the president while one protester held a poster in the town s center bearing a picture of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance and the message This is the governing body the founders warned us about Massachusetts Congresswoman Lori Trahan and Gov Maura Healey gave remarks during a ceremony at the North Bridge both highlighting the contributions that Concordians made during the battle on April and how they feel in the current era s political context has striking similarities Trahan pointed out how George Washington he warned of domestic threats and those who put themselves above the Constitution during the Constitutional Convention of That remains our charge this day To ensure that in America no one no matter how loud how wealthy how powerful stands above the law she stated Because in a Democracy of the law not a single man is sovereign A wreath-laying ceremony followed their speeches honoring those who died in clash years ago to the day As a trumpet player played Taps a trio of military jets flew over the bridge and historical park Down the road at the Concord Museum throngs of visitors strolled through exhibits honoring the day one which included the original lantern from Paul Revere s famous midnight ride Outside minutemen reenactors drilled with muskets cooked over an open firepit and demonstrated various crafts This was a real time of turmoil for this country and it was a time of great bravery as well Executive Director Lisa Krassner stated the Herald Those themes values and what these brave people fought for are still part of the national conversation in contemporary times liberty justice and freedoms The Associated Press contributed to this statement