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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1972-05-25-TCC-min.pdf 4S9 TOWN CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE May 25, 1972 PRESENT Chmn Barnes, Vice Chmn Gaughan, Mrs Litchfield, Mrs Reed, Mr Lord, Mr Brenchick, Mr Penske, Mr Fitzgerald, and Mrs Hall VISITORS Selectwoman Riffin, Town Manager O'Connell, Neil Cronin of the American Legion, and Messrs Daigle, Edgar, and Marrigan of the Lexington Minute Men RE-ENACTMENT OF BATTLE OF LEXINGTON (Its future leading to the 1975 celebration) The question was asked "What is the purpose of the re-enactment?" The Lexington Minute Men answered that they wish to demonstrate, as historically correct as is possible, the original Battle of Lexington for the public to view The opinion was voiced that the "re-enactment of the Battle of Lexington should be done, since it all started here" Other cities are giving/sponsoring re-enactments and so should Lexington We would need to obtain the money for these re-enactments from the Town Meeting floor The cost of these activities is considerable - off-duty pay for Town employees, etc and would have to be budgeted Mr O'Connell pointed out that the total cost to the Town for a normal Patriots Day weekend is approximately $8,000 00, and almost half of that figure is spent on the re-enactment He further stated he would not recommend funds for another re-enactment in next year's budget unless far more viewers are able to see the performance Larger Locations in Town were discussed for future re-enactments, but the Minute Men feel strongly that these re-enactments would lose their historical value if movedto a location other than the original Battle Green The closing of Harrington Road was suggested in order to place grandstands on that street Additional stands on the Green itself were discussed, but it was felt there might be a danger of enclosing too closely the re-enactment performers and their accompanying horses The question was raised as to whether a charge could be made for any or all of these grandstand seats to assure seating and contribute to general expenses A further suggestion was that the re-enactment be performed several times to take care of all the people who would want to view it The Minute Menwere asked if they wanted to perform the re-enactment each year, and theyassured us that they did, at least through Patriots Day 1975 It was noted that there could be a lull in the public's interest in this activity in the next year or two unless stands could be erected (wherever it might take place) to enable far more people to view the performance Discussion ensued as to conditions in the Town in 1975, and we were told we could expect from 50,000 to 100,000 people No definite plans have been final- ized as yet, but Mr O'Connell reported that the usual two parades on Patriots Day are under serious consideration The Minute Men talked about staging the re-enactment on the Green at approximately 5 30 A.M on April 19th, 1975, but were cautioned that if the two parades were indeed scheduled for that day, they would comprise enough of a problem for maintenance of public safety and crowd without staging another event on that same day Crowd control is generally agreed to be one of the major problems for the Town during all of 1975's celebrations of Patriots Day Hopefully, personnel from Hanscom Air Base and the Lexington 490 National Guard Armory will be able to assist our Police Department in this matter The Minute Men have a campaign idea to raise the necessary monies to keep the re-enactment going on an annual basis This was deemed an excellent idea and all present said "Go Ahead" .l Mrs Riffin suggested that the re-enactment be tried in a larger area of the Town to accommodate more spectators and to see if it can be done in a successful manner, with the possibility of tickets being sold for the performances On the first Thursday in September, namely September 7, 1972, the Lexington Minute Men will report back to the Town Celebrations Committee with their latest ideas, findings, and solutions for future re-enactments TOURIST ATTRACTION The periodic musket firing on the Green will take place this summer on several Sunday afternoons The Board of Selectmen gave their provisional approval for this activity under the following conditions (1) No Town services are needed at the same time (2) If other events are planned, the Minute Men will adjust their firing schedule to another time (3) No firing would take place should there be any church services going on (4) Neighbors adjacent to the Green are not disturbed by this activity MEMORIAL DAY Neil Cronin will act as Master of Ceremonies for the Chief Marshal during the various parade stops Mr Barnes will check with the Veterans Services office on the number of wreathes needed, and if necessary, call Carlson's to cut down the number of our order CORRECTION Mr Kerry's name was inadvertently misspelled in the minutes of May 18, 1972 Respectfully submitted, Marilyn L Hall Recording Secretary.