Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Early Patriot's Day
So you thought Patriot's Day was in April, eh? Okay, if you're not from Massachusetts, you probably have no idea what Patriot's Day is. Remember the Longfellow poem you had to learn in 8th grade, about the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere?
Paul Revere's ride preceded the Battle of Concord and Lexington, officially kicking off the Revolutionary War. Here in the greater Boston area this kind of event is taken seriously, so the Monday nearest to April 19th (the ride was the night before, on the 18th) is a state holiday, and people go out in droves to watch or take part in re-enactments of the ride and the battles. Fifes and drums galore, and much parading. Oh yeah, and the Boston Marathon. And the Red Sox game.
But this isn't that kind of Patriot's Day, except for the parading. Today is the day that the once-again World Champion New England Patriots will have their victory parade through the streets of Boston. The crowds were assembling before dawn today, and the satellite trucks are clogging up the streets around Copley Square. Someone on my bus spoke with a woman who had been there since 5:15 am. Now mind you, the event doesn't kick off until 11 am today. The route passes within a block of New England School of Law, so I expect the library will be emptying out around that time. But alas, I'll be at work in the inner burbs, so I'll have to miss the chaos. I'm sure the crowds will still be lingering upon my return to town this afternoon, however.
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Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
Paul Revere's ride preceded the Battle of Concord and Lexington, officially kicking off the Revolutionary War. Here in the greater Boston area this kind of event is taken seriously, so the Monday nearest to April 19th (the ride was the night before, on the 18th) is a state holiday, and people go out in droves to watch or take part in re-enactments of the ride and the battles. Fifes and drums galore, and much parading. Oh yeah, and the Boston Marathon. And the Red Sox game.
But this isn't that kind of Patriot's Day, except for the parading. Today is the day that the once-again World Champion New England Patriots will have their victory parade through the streets of Boston. The crowds were assembling before dawn today, and the satellite trucks are clogging up the streets around Copley Square. Someone on my bus spoke with a woman who had been there since 5:15 am. Now mind you, the event doesn't kick off until 11 am today. The route passes within a block of New England School of Law, so I expect the library will be emptying out around that time. But alas, I'll be at work in the inner burbs, so I'll have to miss the chaos. I'm sure the crowds will still be lingering upon my return to town this afternoon, however.
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Posted by Rogueslayer at 8:35 AM 
