HomeMy WebLinkAbout1972-04-27-TCC-min.pdf 183
TOWN CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE
April 27, 1972
PRESENT Chmn Barnes, ViceChmn Gaughan, Mrs Litchfield, Mr Lord,
Mr Brenchick, Mr Fenske, Mr Fitzgerald, and Mrs Hall
VISITORS Chief Marshal Michelson; Chief of Staff Turner; Messers Edgar,
Marrigan and Gabriel of the Lexington Minute Men
PATRIOTS DAY Comments and suggestions for 1972's celebration
1 The serious parade interval problem must be solved Suggest having a
responsible member of each Minute Man Company located near the reviewing stand
next year to see first-hand how unruly the 3rd division appears
2 Crowd control in the center of Town was good, but it was very poor in East
Lexington Chief Corr will ask for motor scooters next year to patrol the
crowd on both sides of Massachusetts Avenue, as well as to assist in closing
gaps in the parade itself "No Parking" signs should be posted on one whole
side of Massachusetts Avenue along the total parade route
Diane's Twirlettes should be out of the parade next year, as they were told
by a parade official to stop performing and move out They paid no heed to
this official
3 Cars were moving on Worthen Road causing a traffic problem for the parade,
as it is scheduled to turn left onto Worthen Road from Massachusetts Avenue
4 The Park Department was late in putting up ropes along Massachusetts Avenue
near the Town Hall
5 The floats were a disappointment this year We wish there were more Also,
the antique cars were missed A few antiques would be colorful And we need
more bands
6 Assembly of the 4th division on Follen Road proved to be very successful
7 The Harvard University Band proved not to be an easy band to march to They
basically played three numbers, all of which had different cadences
8 More publicity is needed concerning all Patriots Day activities, re traffic
changes for parade personnel, an earlier write-up on the Chief Marshal, etc
9 It was suggested we use Past Chief Marshals as Aides at strategic points
along the parade route to keep the parade moving along smoothly
10 The Historical Society's antique fire engine needs to be placed in the
5th division, due to its emission of exhaust It is difficult for any group
to amrch behind it
11 The 1 15P.M bus to carry the Minute Men from Hancock Church to East
Lexington never showed up It is suggested we schedule only two bus trips, one
at 12 30 P.M and the other at 1 15 P.M from Hancock Church area to carry
parade participants to East Lexington
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12 We are told the Minute Man groups connot march much faster than they do 9
now They use a colonial cadence with colonial music both of which are slow
Some members are also carrying large drums
It was suggested the Committee write a letter to the Minute Man Council
advising them that all Minute Man groups must keep the cadence outlined in our
parade orders or be removed from the parade The 3rd division was a disaster
with several very large gaps in it If groups do not adhere to our instructions,
they will not be invited back to march the following year It was
suggested that all Minute Man Fife and Drum groups march in one body, and all
Minute Man marching groups combine into one body in order to prevent more gaps
in the 3rd division, as well as to keep an evener cadence The Minute Man
groups held up at Woburn Street to make spaces for playing their music, thus
causing more delays
Several floats had difficulty holding together along the parade route Perhaps
our float orders could provide suggestions to avoid such happenings Here
again, Aides stragetically placed alon the parade route would prove most
helpful
BI-CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE MEETING
Mr Gaughan of our Committee attended the Bi-centennial committee meeting held
on Wednesday, April 26th
THE RE-ENACTMENT OF THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON
Comments and suggestions
1 The placement of ropes was poorly arranged
2 The univited press people proved very dangerous and this shows a lack of
good coordination between the Minute Men and our Committee in total arrangements
A special place should be provided for all press personnel at any future
re-enactments
3 The Minute Men feel they should write up a Manual of Instructions
4 The Town Celebrations Committee feels this year's re-enactment was a great
inpr`ovement over last year's performance However, many problems remain un-
solved for a smoother program, especially as concerns crowd control and the
ability of all on-lookers to be able to view the re-enactment
5 A special meeting will be called to go over all details of this year's
and any future re-enactments At this meeting the following personnel should
be present; Town Manager; representative from the Police and Park Departments;
the Town Celebrations Committee; the Lexington Minute Men, and any other
people involved
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
The Lexington Minute Men will be presenting a manual of arms on the Green
for the Benefit of any visitors or townsfolk These programs will take place L.
on Sunday afternoons between the hours of 1 P.M and 5 P.M The dates are as
follows June 4th and 18th; July 9th and 23rd; August 6th and 20th
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April 27th minutes continued;
U S S LEXINGTON MEMORIAL SERVICE
This service will take place on the Green on Sunday, May 7th at 2 P.M The
Lexington Minute Men will stage a retreat ceremony and fire a cannon in tribute
to those lost on this ship durin the Battle of the Coral Seas (the Minute
Men were told they must receive permission from the Setectmen to fire said
cannon) The retreat ceremony will follow the memorial service A bugler
from the High School Band will be available to play taps Rev Peterson,
First Baptist Church, will give the invocation and benediction Mrs
Litchfield will write to Paul Mazerall to arrange for a speaker's stand by
1 45 P.M on May 7th, and to have the power box open and ready for use
MEMORIAL DAY May 29th 1972
Mr Miller, Commander of the American Legion, will be asked to meet with the
Committee at our meeting next week
Respectfully submitted,
Marilyn L Hall
Recording Secretary