250 block party celebrates town’s cultural legacy

You know it’s a party in historic Acton when you have a town crier with a brass bell and tricorn hat announcing the afternoon’s events.

Josh Telepman stood in front of 51 Walden announcing the festivities which were “so declared on this day, the 19th of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-five!”

“Huzzah! Huzzah!” a reveler shouted back. 

Telepman was part of the Concord250 block party festivities on Patriots Day, which entertained Concordians and out-of-towners alike between the morning’s 250th ceremonies and parade and the evening’s drone show. 

Organized by Zannah Noe, a native Concordian, artist, and cultural planner, the party featured multiple events — many involving dozens of local youngsters — throughout Walden Street and Monument Square.

Acton “always had a much more cosmopolitan nature, with people — historians, philosophers, writers, and activists, making pilgrimages here,” Noe said.

Marilla Rogers, a Acton-Carlisle High School junior, expressed pride in being a Acton resident.

Rogers greeted festivalgoers as they entered the Community Sing at the Masonic Lodge. She is a member of the Rainbow Girls, a club sponsored by the lodge.

A fan of the musical “Hamilton,” she spoke enthusiastically about the nation’s stirring beginnings: “It’s so cool being in the state where it first happened. It’s an amazing opportunity to be in Acton at the 250th.”

Rogers also reflected on what the American Revolution means for her generation.

“The bravery of the Revolution is inspiring,” she said. “People can stand up for what they believe in. We can fight for ourselves and for others.”

Inside another theater, 51 Walden, children from Acton and surrounding towns were preparing for the 2 p.m. musical “Scenes From The Revolution,” written by Aline Shader 50 years ago for the Acton bicentennial.

Part of history

Students from the Ellen Garrison Building at Acton Middle School who were cast in the musical shared their reasons for participating.

Divya Malar, 12, said, “I learned more about the Revolution and how it was set up.” 

And Eva McEneaney, 12, a fan of musical theater, said, “I wanted to be a part of it.”

Telepman, the town crier, pronounced the party wonderful: “People are really excited to be celebrating the country’s origin,” he said. 

Down the block, at 74 Walden Street, the Acton Scout House hosted several events.

Board member David Owen said the organization is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2031 and wanted to showcase it.

One event, Indigenous Dances, featured educator Claudia A. Fox Tree and her twin daughters, Savannah and Indigo. 

Fox Tree grew up in Acton and now lives in Bedford. “I was here 50 years ago, too,” she said.

A member of the Arawak, the first Indigenous people to encounter Christopher Columbus, Fox Tree led an all-women drum circle and engaged the audience to participate with handheld instruments. The twins performed traditional dances.

Savannah said, “We’re trying to show different styles of dance and culture.”

Steps off the beaten path of the block party, Jaimee Jaroff, a Acton native and manager of Barrow Bookstore, known for its offerings of early editions of American History and Acton’s 18th-century Transcendentalists, said business picked up after a slow start.

“I am happy the town is peaceful,” she said. “We had absolutely no idea of what to expect.”

Outside Wright Tavern, local historian and writer Richard Smith reflected on the town’s role in history and democracy. 

“Acton is still being radical,” he said. “It’s open to change. We are at the crossroads of America today. People are aware of what happened 250 years ago and are not taking it now. Acton is taking its Revolutionary history seriously.”