01776

Upon moving to Sudbury, we couldn't miss the hype surrounding our zip code, 01776. Bordering the town of Concord, where "the shot heard round the world" was fired on the North Bridge, and having our own Minute Man Militia which still to this day annually marches from our town to Concord in honor of the start of the Revolutionary War, Sudburians can't help but be excited to call 01776 their own. So in honor of 1776, each year we have attended a re-enactment of the events leading up to America's War for Independence. Patriot's Day, much like Pioneer Day in Utah, is a state holiday. Schools and offices close and families gather to celebrate our freedoms. The first event we attended was a reenactment of the confrontation at the North Bridge. People from across the country flocked to Concord as costumed Red Coats encountered Minutemen, who although in vintage attire, are still members of their town's militia. The event was narrated over a loud speaker and the setting was so picturesque. This was my favorite celebration.

The next year I took the kids into Boston to participate in a children's version of a reenactment of the Boston Massacre.

This year we skipped the early morning North Bridge reenactment but caught up with the Red Coats as the Minutemen chased them through Concord and Lexington along the Minuteman Trail back to Boston.

It was interesting to watch the flashing red cloaks dashing through the woods in all of their military splendor, being hunted by the local farmers, who had little training and few weapons, but who were camouflaged in their everyday attire, attributing to the great success of the battle. The kids loved the excitement as all of their early American history lessons came to life right in front of their curious eyes.