An impressive lineup of events is taking place in and around Acton for next weekend’s commemoration of the beginning of the American Revolution and the town’s role in the fight for independence. On Friday, April 18, 2025, the Acton Minutemen will be completing their annual trek to Concord, following the Line of March taken by Captain Isaac Davis and Acton’s minute company. Today’s company, volunteer reenactors, will be stepping off from the site of the Isaac Davis House on Hayward Road at 6:30 am, and the public is welcome to join in for the ceremony, or the entire six mile march. Parking is available in the high school parking lot on Hayward Road. Walkers should expect to arrive at the North Bridge in Concord around 10:30 am. and buses will return walkers to Acton.
Every year, before the Acton Minutemen, scouts, and others march out of town, there is a short ceremony at the Isaac Davis Monument across the street from Town Hall. This year, there will be a special rededication of the monument and the Isaac Davis Plow exhibit in Town Hall at about 7:00 am. Both the cleaning and repointing of the Isaac Davis Monument and the new display case construction were funded by CPA grants, approved by Town Meeting.
The reenactments that typically take place at the North Bridge in Concord have been cancelled this year, but residents can return to Acton for the annual Patriots’ Day Spirit event at the Faulkner Homestead from 12-4 p.m. on Friday, April 18. On the day their men marched to Concord, local families gathered at the Faulkner Homestead to prepare rations to take to the militia fighting in the field. Iron Work Farm, Inc., the non-profit steward of the house at 5 High Street, marks the occasion by preparing a meal on the lawn. There will be games for children, and the public can tour the house.
Later that same day, the Acton Minutemen will return to Acton for the annual reenactment of the alarm ride. Beginning at the site of the Robbins’ house on Concord Road at 5:00 pm, a horse and rider will travel the original route taken to sound the alarm in Acton for the militia to turn out. Leaving the Robbins’ house, the rider will travel to the Isaac Davis House on Hayward, then to the Faulkner House, where Colonel Faulkner himself will step out with his musket to fire three volleys, a signal for the West Militia to muster at his home, as the rider continues on to Liberty Tree Farm on Liberty Street.
A special celebration of the Acton Minutemen, free and open to the public, will take place on Wednesday, April 16, 6:00-8:30 pm, at the Discovery Museum. The Acton 250 Committee have organized this 21+ after-hours event, featuring the Isaac Davis Brown Ale from Dirigible Brewing, food and more.
The festivities continue on Saturday, April 19 with a parade in Concord and an Open House at the Acton Historical Society’s Hosmer House Museum, 300 Main Street, from 2-5 pm. A new Revolutionary War exhibit will be on display in the original part of the house that was standing on April 19, 1775.
The parade route in Concord covers approximately 3.5 miles, and will proceed rain or shine. According to the Town of Concord website, “At the North Bridge a wreath-laying ceremony is held to commemorate the engagement between the Minuteman companies and British troops on April 19, 1775. The parade continues across the North Bridge and returns to Concord Center, with dignitaries participating from neighboring towns, the state, the nation, and foreign countries with ties to Concord.” The parade begins at 8:30 a.m., and the Old North Bridge Ceremony will take place at 9:30 am. The public is encouraged to use public transportation; the MBTA is running a special event schedule. Road closures in Concord will start around 6:00 pm on Friday, April 18, and remain in effect until 11:00 pm on Saturday, April 19. More information can be found on Concord’s Patriots’ Day Weekend event website.
Alissa Nicol is a member of the Acton Select Board and writes frequently about community events for the Acton Exchange.
