The annual Patriot's Day celebrations for 2004 will offer several familiar activities and a day-long living history presentation called Battle Road 2004: A Prelude to War. Battle Road offers visitors an extraordinary glimpse into the life and times of colonial New England on the eve of war. It will be held on Saturday, April 17 from 10 am to 4 pm. Visitors will be encouraged to imagine it is early April in 1775.
 Three distinct historical areas will be established in the Park's Battle Road Unit. These areas will allow visitors to gain a better understanding of colonial life in rural Massachusetts (Hartwell Tavern), the life of a British Garrison in Boston (the Captain William Smith House) and a traveler's experience near the British fortifications on Boston Neck (the area between these two sites). Scheduled activities will include:
Rural Massachusetts (Hartwell Tavern)
Outdoor cooking demonstrations
Drill and musket firing
Making and repairing clothing
Town meeting
Boston Neck (Between Tavern and Smith house)
Refugees fleeing from Boston
Costumed interpreters relaying the story of Boston Neck fortifications
Supply convoys going to Boston
British Garrison (Captain Smith House):
Camp life on Boston Common
Surgeon's call and demonstration
The life of a "redcoat" in Boston
Many volunteer minute and militia companies, Town committees and Park Rangers coordinate these complex events, and as always, public safety and accuracy are of utmost importance. Visitors interested in attending Patriot's Day festivities are encouraged to check their local listings and the Park's web site - www.nps.gov/mima, which has links to area organizations participating in Patriot's Day. (Editor's Note: Other Patriots' Day events are listed in this issue of the Concord Magazine here.)
 
 
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