Parker’s Prelude (Location Update: Lexington High School)

Location Update: Parker’s Prelude will take place at Lexington High School

Parking & Access: Please park in the main school parking lot & enter through the main entrance off Worthen Road.

Parker’s Prelude

Join us for a free community event to celebrate Captain John Parker’s 295th Birthday with a festive celebration on the Lexington Battle Green. Bring along a chair or blanket. There will be music, activities, and a one-of-a-kind birthday cake creation by Wilson Farm Bakers! Leading off the musical performances will be a joint concert of the Lexington Bicentennial Band and the Concord Band.

Captain Parker

Seen by many as the ultimate personification of a Yankee rebel and represented by a statue standing resolutely at the head of the Lexington Common, Captain John Parker was a New England farmer, smith, soldier, and colonial militia officer.

On April 19, 1775, Parker led the Lexington Militia in a skirmish with British regulars at the Battle of Lexington, where eight militia lost their lives in a successful delaying action against the British. While the militia lost the Battle of Lexington, Captain Parker’s actions of defiance gave inspiration to further acts of rebellion against the tyranny of King George during the American War for Independence.

Schedule of Events

11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Lexington Bicentennial Band & Concord Band
12:00 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. William Diamond Junior Fife and Drum Corps
12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. Children’s Community Chorus
1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Remarks, Cake Cutting & Sing Happy Birthday
1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Jamaica Plain Honk Band

In case of rain: Lexington High School Auditorium