Fifes and drums, flags and drills: Pumped-up 250 parade wows the crowd

As Concordians celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Revolution’s start, the annual Patriots Day parade offered a joyful counterbalance to the morning’s more solemn observances. 

With grand marshal Thomas G. Kelley and Honored Citizen Sandy Smith in places of honor, 58 contingents marched the three-and-half-mile route in unseasonably warm weather.

With roads closed, shuttles began ferrying viewers at 6 a.m. Many spectators came early to get a good spot, but Sam Bird didn’t have to travel at all: His home is in the heart of the action. 

“[Concord250] came to us,” he said. “We didn’t come to it.” 

Local units included the Acton Independent Battery, Robbins House, Garden Club of Acton, the 250 Committee, and Acton Minute Men. 

Before the parade, Acton Minute Men fifer Roseanne Swain voiced her excitement.  

“I think [it’s] wonderful just seeing the people and bringing history alive,” she said. 

For Johanna Ellis, a kindergarten teacher at Thoreau who carried the guidon for the Acton Minute Men, it wasn’t her first time participating in a historical event: She was at the 200th anniversary in 1975 — when she was in kindergarten herself. 

‘A lot of energy’

Concordian Kathleen Large watched from near Acton’s Colonial Inn and joked that her friends and family “shamed” her into coming to Concord250. 

“I didn’t get shamed enough into getting here by 6 o’clock to see the salute, but it’s been lovely,” she said. 

Large said she was glad “it’s not so crowded that you can’t breathe. But it’s certainly a lot of energy and a lot of people here.” 

Early Concord250 estimates put the day’s crowds between 70,000 and 75,000.

The semiquincentennial parade drew rave reviews from onlookers who spoke with The Acton Bridge. Bird said it was “bigger than in the past years. A good mix of floats and people were represented.”

He especially enjoyed seeing “the people from Minuteman Arc and others you don’t often see, out waving to everybody.”

Acton-Carlisle High School classmates Marie Adams and El Whalen watched the parade together. Whalen said she’s come to every Patriots Day parade, but for Adams, a self-proclaimed “really big history buff,” it was her first time. 

“I wanted to see it in person,” she said. 

They agreed the University of Massachusetts Minutemen marching band was their favorite part.

“That was amazing,” Adams said. “All the music was fantastic.”

Remote access

For those unable to make it in person, there were other options. The Acton Bridge had live coverage of the day’s events, Minute Man Network broadcasted selected events, and CCHS radio station WIQH broadcast live from Monument Square.

“I just thought it was really interesting,” Vail Henry-Hanson said of being part of the WIQH team. “It’s the first time we’ve done something like this, where we’re covering a parade, and I think it was sort of a learning experience, but it was really, really fun. It’s fun to be part of the community and to be involved with the parade.”

Being on duty with the radio station gave the students a seat at the center of the action. 

“It was really hectic, but honestly, it’s a really fun time,” Claire Roeser said. “It’s nice to see the community show up for each other. Overall, really positive experience, and I loved the people I was doing it with.”

The parade was a commemoration and a celebration, and Ellis suggested it might serve an additional purpose. 

“[I hope] it will spark an interest where …  someone decides to be like, ‘Oh, I want learn more about that,’” she said.