America’s 250th anniversary isn’t until next year, but Burlington County plans to begin its celebrations this month with a special event commemorating the start of the American Revolution.
The kickoff is planned for Wednesday, April 16, and will pay homage to Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride and the first shots of the Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
For those who don’t remember their American history, the Revolutionary War began more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed. The first shots “heard round the world” were fired on April 19, 1775, when British soldiers sent to seize or destroy military equipment met resistance from Colonial militia in the towns of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
The battles were preceded by Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride through Massachusetts to warn Colonials of the impending arrival of British forces.
To mark the 250th anniversary of the war’s start, the Burlington County Parks System has scheduled two history presentations titled “Six Events That Outraged Colonialists and Fueled a Revolution” about some of the major events leading up to the first battles. The presentations will be held at 10 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. at the Burlington County Lyceum of History and Natural Sciences.
Immediately after the 6 p.m. presentation, there will be a lantern walk from the Lyceum down High Street to the Historic Olde Courthouse to commemorate Revere’s ride and the lantern hung in the steeple of Old North Church in Boston to signal if the British were coming by land or sea.
Participants are invited to bring their own lanterns, glowsticks or flashlights and march in the parade alongside Revolutionary War re-enactors.
