The 295th Birthday of Captain John Parker
Parker’s Prelude
Join us for a free community event to celebrate Captain John Parker’s 295th Birthday with a festive celebration on the Lexington Battle Green. Bring along a chair or blanket.
There will be music, activities, food trucks and birthday cake! Leading off the musical performances will be a joint concert of the Lexington Bicentennial Band and the Concord Band.
Also, performing will be the:
- Jamaica Plain Honk Band
- Children’s Community Chorus
- William Diamond Junior Fife & Drum Corps
Captain Parker
Seen by many as being the ultimate personification of a Yankee rebel and represented by a statue standing resolutely at the head of the Lexington Common, Captain John Parker was a New England farmer, smith, soldier, and colonial militia officer.
On April 19, 1775, Parker led the Lexington Militia in a skirmish with British regulars at the Battle of Lexington, where eight militia lost their lives in a successful delaying action against the British.
While the militia lost the Battle of Lexington, Captain Parker’s actions of defiance gave inspiration to further acts of rebellion against the tyranny of King George during the American War for Independence.
