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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1972-09-21-TCC-min.pdf 492 TOWN CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE September 21, 1972 f i PRESENT Chmn Barnes, Mrs Litchfield, Mr Gaughan, Mrs Reed, Mr Fitzgerald, Mr Brenchick, Mr Lord, Mr Fenske and Mrs Hall VISITORS Mrs Riffin, Selectwomen; Mr O'Connell, Town Manager; Lt Marrigan, Lexington Minute Men, Inc FUTURE RE-ENACTMENTS OF THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON Lt Marrigan opened the discussion by naming the groups involved in re-enactments They are (1) the Lexington Minute Men; (2) the 10th Regiment of Foot; (3) the Town of Lexington The Minute Men's role os to keep alive the colonial tradition and American heritage in the minds of the people and to re-kindle that spirit in modern man, as well as to honor the original complement of Minute Men The 10th Regiment's role is to further the prestige of the proffessional British soldier by re-enacting the British role in America during that period The Town's role is to share the inspirational feeling of that Glorious Morning For America and our Birthplace of Liberty with citizens of the world The major objectives of the Minute Men in performing re-enactments are (1) safety, (2) crowd control, (3) cost Three options were presented to the Committee as follows (1) Hold several re-enactments during and around Patriots Day or have controlled admission (2) Hold a 5 30 A.M re-enactment for the public, with local notification in the Lexington Minute Man paper which would probably result in smaller attendence and minimum cost (3) Relocate the re- enactment and maintain Committee interest in the upcoming Bi-centennial celebration This would remove control problems, traffic problems and hold down costs The Minute Men want to help us celebrate Patriots Day by performing a re- enactment They realize there is a desire on the part of the Town's people for thisevent and that the advantages and disadvantages have to be weighed Would people attend a re-enactment at the early morning hour? Would they be willing to pay an admission should one be charged? Mr O'Connell asked Lt Marrigan if the Minute Men's options pointed toward 1975, and he was told they pointed only toward 1973 Mr O'Connell stated that the most important objective (as listed above) should be "cost" as each option presents some costs, be they larger or smaller by comparison He also stated the Town's responsibility for public safety liability The question was asked if a re-enactment scheduled for early dawn would accomplish the purpose of the event, and Lt Marrigan said it would The High School field can seat about 3,000 people, and parking there is a real problem The question then came up as to whether or not the Green could be cleaned up in time for the Sunrise Parade, should the re-enactment be held there It was agreed that the re-enactment should be scheduled for the same day as the parades to hold down costs for the Town as well as being a more historic S representation of the actual Battle of Lexington 493 September 21, 1972 continued r- Chairman Howard of the Bi-centennial Committee stated two facts (1) In their preliminary presentation, they have re-enactment scheduled for dawn on 1975 And at a November 15th Meeting, these preliminary plans will be gone over for refinement (2) The Bi-centennial's position on re-enactments should not influence any judgments made by our Committee Mrs Riffin's dream for spreading out traffic by holding a re-enactment in another place was shattered after she attended the July 4th celebration on Loring Hill! She stated she liked the 5 30 A.M idea for a re-enactment Horses on the Green were discussed and the safety factors involved therein Mr O'Connell stressed the importance of trained personnel to control the horses at all times whether they be mounted or not It was also stated that a specific place should be set aside for members of the press, so that they would not be roaming in and out of re-enactment performers THE MOTION It was moved, seconded and voted that the Committee agreed to a re-enactment of the Battle of Lexington on the Battle Green at 5 30A.M on the day to be celebrated as Patriots Day in 1973 As a result of this motion, the representatives of the Minute Men agreed that the Company would work with the Committee on suitable orders and procedures to accomplish proper organization and execution of this event VETERANS DAY 1 Mr Gillespie said the High School Band will be marching in our parade All Youth and Veteran groups in Town have been invited to march The Hayden Twirlers and Drummers will not be ready by this parade to participate General Gavin is not available for Speaker of the Day; Mr Barnes will inquire of the Hanscom personnel for a Speaker The Committee recieved a letter from former Senator Saltonstall, this year's United Nations Chairman, and the Committee will take appropriate action on its contents Respectfully submitted, Marilyn L Hall Recording Secretary rti rt