Celebrate the 242nd Anniversary of Massachusetts Emancipation Day aka Quock Walker Day Quock Walker was enslaved in Barre, MA. His 1781 civil lawsuit for battery…
Join the MetWinds, Guest Conductor Meghan MacFadden, and the Town of Lexington as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.…
You're Invited: Join Us for an Unforgettable Event!Save the Dates and Celebrate with Us It is with great excitement and anticipation that we invite you…
You're Invited: Join Us for an Unforgettable Event!Save the Dates and Celebrate with Us It is with great excitement and anticipation that we invite you…
Join us for an unforgettable night of artistry and preservation as internationally acclaimed baroque flutist Vincent Canciello takes center stage at a black tie gala…
The New England Tour de Cure is a fundraising cycling event that benefits the American Diabetes Association. Back in Lexington for the fourth year, the…
Celebrate 250 years of bold women, girls, and fiber arts with a day full of history, music, colonial games, crafts, food, and family fun! Highlights…
In 2025, the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary with special gallery talks, engaging lectures, and exhibitions drawn from our…
“Do not neglect your music,” Thomas Jefferson wrote his daughter. “It will be a companion which will sweeten many hours of life to you.” Works…
Please join the Town of Lexington, Lexington History Museums, and Muralist Kit Collins for an event celebrating the Lexington Center Mural on Tuesday, September 16th,…
Through a grant with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, come celebrate and learn about Prince Estabrook, Eli Burdoo, and Pompey Fiske through newly…
In 2025, the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary with special gallery talks, engaging lectures, and exhibitions drawn from our…
VO250 is more than a label—it’s a legacy. It tells a story that spans four centuries and captures the spirit that has defined Lexington since its founding: the power of volunteers to shape history.
In the 1700s, when everyday people—farmers, blacksmiths, ministers—stood together on April 19, 1775, they weren’t professional soldiers. They were volunteers, driven by principle and a shared sense of responsibility. Their courage didn’t just launch a revolution, it forged Lexington’s civic identity.
In the 1800s, that spirit continued to blossom. Concerned about the town’s appearance for the nation’s Centennial in 1876, Lexington residents created the Lexington Field & Garden Club, the first in the United States. Their efforts beautified streets, planted trees, and transformed the Common from a rough hayfield into a town green worthy of its legacy. Around the same time, the Lexington Historical Society and Cary Memorial Library were founded—both by residents who saw a need and volunteered together to fill it.
Then came the 1900s and, with them, a new symbol of Lexington’s volunteerism. In 1955, during the standardization of telephone systems, Lexington was assigned the prefix “VO” for “volunteer.” Local phone numbers began with VO2, which translates to today’s 862. The town didn’t choose that code. The phone company did. But it resonated because, in Lexington, “volunteer” isn’t just a word; it’s who we are. Long before hashtags and online organizing, Lexington’s phone lines were already echoing civic commitment. Many residents still have landlines beginning with “86”—a daily reminder of the values we live by.
VO250 is a celebration of Lexington’s 250 years since April 19, 1775. But more than that, it’s a tribute to the people who have made this town what it is—through vision, generosity, and service. It’s an invitation to carry that legacy forward.
