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CANCELED: Lexington Celebrates Captain Parker, Inspiration for Minuteman Statue

Statue of the Lexington Minuteman on the Battle Green in Lexington. (Photo Courtesy Lex250 Commission)

(This event has been canceled and postponed due to forecasts of wet weather. A new date will be announced shortly)

LEXINGTON — On Saturday, the Town of Lexington will host Parker’s Prelude, a community festival and the second official event in the 250th Anniversary Celebration lineup of the Battle of Lexington in 1775.

The community festival will consist of food trucks, activities for all ages, and a rare joint concert of the Lexington Bicentennial Band and the Concord Band. Also performing will be the Jamaica Plain Honk Band, Children’s Community Chorus, and William Diamond Junior Fife & Drum Corps.

Led by the Lexington Historical Society, activities include a colonial-themed tintamarresque, henna artist, seed planting, and card making for veterans. The Lexington Minutemen will also host an encampment on the Battle Green, and using a ceremonial sword, cut and serve a giant birthday cake in honor of Captain Parker.

When

Saturday, July 13, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

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 & Drum Corps 

12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.           Children’s Community Chorus

1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.             Cake cutting/ Happy Birthday sing along

1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.             Jamaica Plain Honk Band

Where

Lexington Battle Green, Massachusetts Avenue at Bedford Street

Who

Seen by many as being 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.

Flyer for Parker’s Prelude. (Photo Courtesy Lex250 Commission)