Calendar of Events

Minute Man NHP 50th Anniversary: “ Honoring the Past; Inspiring the Future” - On September 21, 1959, Congress established Minute Man National Historical Park to preserve important sites associated with the opening battle of the American Revolution; a battle that led to the creation of this country. It was here that the "shot heard ‘round the world" was fired, igniting a flame of liberty that still burns brightly in the hearts of freedom loving people around the world. This year is the park’s Fiftieth Anniversary. From April through September of 2009 there will be a series of special events (including lectures, scholars forums, living history demonstrations, Ranger led walks, concerts, and historical house "open houses") designed to serve 1.2 million park visitors, to engage youth and families and to attract new and diverse audiences.

Valley Forge Tavern – Tuesday through Saturday from 8-11pm.  Folk, Jazz, pub music, blues and acoustic mix.  Casual dining.  No cover. Call for schedule.

Alcott Toastmasters Invitation for Public Speaking – 7:00-8:45pm – Concord Free Public Library – Get help and feedback about making public speeches – progress at your own pace.  Give it a try!

The First Show: Hilary Emerson Lay, Kate True, Julie
Vinette – 32 Main Street , lower level- Gallery owner Bonnie Albright says, “This vibrant exhibit opens a dialogue with the viewer; from Vinette's unbridled use of color, to Emerson Lay's playful city forms, to True's melancholic storylines." The three artists will be in attendance at the reception, Pieces in The First Show range in price from $30 to $2,400. Opening Reception, Thursday, June 25th – 5 - 8pm.

Bessie's Cove Exhibit – 177 Main Street (Route 27), Acton - New adventures await you as you travel through the sea of imagination when you enter Bessie's Cove. Named after our famed mascot, you can escape on a boat, climb up in a tree, scope out the open waters from the Crow's Nes and learn to tie sailor knots!

THE 37 LEXINGTON ROAD LOCATION WILL BE CLOSED FOR CONTRUCTION.TEMPORARY LOCATION WILL BE 1175 LEXINGTON ROAD, THE SAMUEL BROOKS HOUSE, FOR CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, DEMONSTRATIONS AND SUMMER EXHBITS.

Setting the President’s Table: American Presidential China from the McNeil Americana Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art - This special exhibition, organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art with George Washington’s Mount Vernon, showcases over 100 pieces of porcelain used by American presidents from Washington to Reagan as they entertained distinguished gatherings of diplomats, celebrities, and royalty at the national “First Table.”  This visual history of the American presidency is sure to fascinate anyone with an interest in American history and presidential politics, entertaining and style, collecting and decorative arts. The exhibition is free with Concord Museum admission; Members Free.

Free Friday Nights at DeCordova – 51 Sandy Pond Road – 5:00 – 9:00pm – The Museum and Park will be open free to visitors.  Guided tours of “The Old, Weird America” and the Sculpture park will be available, along with family art activities, live music and boxed picnic dinners catered by Via Lago of Lexington.  Call for information and to reserve dinner.

Picnic in the Park – 11:30am – 4:30pm – Emerson Field on Everett Street – Bicycle and doll carriage parade starts the day’s activities – assemble at 11:15am.  Fun and food all day.  Music starting at noon with Uncle Sam’s Patriotic Jazz Band, 1:30pm – 3:00pm, hear Southern Rail bluegrass band and listen to The Concord Band from 3:15pm – 4:30ppm. Program by Benjamin the Juggler and demonstration by Concord Police K9 Unit.  Tethered hot air balloon rides, activity booths, food concessions, field games.  Rain or shine.

Music on the Lawn: Jah Spirit Reggae – 129 Main Street – 7:00pm -3 times Boston Music Award Nominee Best Reggae band.  Has played Boston First Night and many reggaefests.  Bring a picnic dinner and a blanket or a chair and enjoy a variety of music.  This series is sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.  The rain location is the Hunt Gym, 90 Stow Street, Concord.

Armitage Gone! Dance: Ligeti Essays, The Watteau Duets and Excerpt from Mashup– 8:00pm - Performing Arts Center at Concord Academy - Opening this year's festival will be two works of edgy classicism that span three decades of Karole Armitage’s career.  Ligeti Essays (2007) is a suite of concise, jewel-like movements choreographed to music by the great Hungarian composer György Ligeti.  Armitage's now-classic The Watteau Duets (1985), explores the different stages of a pas de deux in dance… and in life.  The work is set to music by David Linton performed live by the explosive keyboard- and-drum duo TALIBAM– Admission - $25, $15 students and seniors. Tickets $25 / Students and Seniors $15.

Hand-in-Hand at Orchard House – 399 Lexington Road - 10:00 a.m. - This program offers a very special first look at a historic house museum and the Alcott family for children aged 6 and under with a parent or adult caregiver. Activities such as matching games, songs, Victorian dress-up, drawing, and age-appropriate stories are included to stimulate, entertain, and educate the very young while allowing their adult partners time to enjoy Orchard House in a very unique way.  Cost: $15 per Adult/Child Grouping; $7.50 for each additional Adult or Child. (Members - $12 and $6 respectively)

A Morning with the Alcotts – 399 Lexington Road – 9:30am – 11:30am - Step back into the pages of history to find out what it was like to live in the time of the Alcotts! Expert, authentically costumed staff and volunteers portray Alcott family members to introduce youngsters aged 7 and up to life in the 19th Century generally and within the Alcott home particularly. An interactive tour, old-fashioned games, songs, stories, and refreshments are all part of this highly popular and unforgettable experience! Cost: $18 per person (Members - $15). Reservations & pre-payment required.

Coffee and Comfort in These Uncertain Economic Times – 747 Main Street, Suite 120 – 7:00am – 10:00am  - Networking and presentation.  Refreshments served.

Free Friday Nights at DeCordova – 51 Sandy Pond Road – 5:00 – 9:00pm – The Museum and Park will be open free to visitors.  Guided tours of “The Old, Weird America” and the Sculpture park will be available, along with family art activities, live music and boxed picnic dinners catered by Via Lago of Lexington.  Call for information and to reserve dinner.

Nell Breyer/Alissa Cardone/Lorraine Chapman/Bronwen MacArthur - The Disappearing Woman -Summer Stages Dance/Baryshnikov Arts Center Residency Project 2008 – 7:30pm - The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston -The world premiere of a new media/ movement collaboration that examines the disappearing woman through choreographic and media elements. The piece was commissioned and developed by Summer Stages Dance, in association with the Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, the Regional Dance Development Initiative of the New England Foundation for the Arts, and Vermont Performance Lab. $25, $15 ICA members, students and seniors.

Chris Elam/Misnomer Dance Theater -Being Together -Summer Stages Dance/Baryshnikov Arts Center Residency Project 2007 – 8:00pm - Performing Arts Center at Concord Academy  - Whether creating dance for film, the web, installations or the stage, Misnomer is daring, inventive, and unpredictable.  Being Together continues Misnomer’s history of collaborating with renowned composers, featuring original music by Bang on a Can All-star’s Evan Ziporyn.  Known for its improbable partnering and unique movement language, Misnomer offers an evening of curious encounters, outrageous undertakings and transformative dance. Mirroring the company’s innovative off-stage efforts to find new ways of connecting, the three dances comprising Being Together — Too Late Tulip, Rock.Paper.Flock. and Zipper — are themselves about the nuances and complexities of human interaction: our quest to connect, understand and be understood. Tickets $25 / Students and Seniors $15.

Free Friday Nights at DeCordova – 51 Sandy Pond Road – 5:00 – 9:00pm – The Museum and Park will be open free to visitors.  Guided tours of “The Old, Weird America” and the Sculpture park will be available, along with family art activities, live music and boxed picnic dinners catered by Via Lago of Lexington.  Call for information and to reserve dinner.

Blueberry Pancake Breakfast – 11 Wheeler Road – 9:00am - noon – Enjoy freshly made blueberry pancakes, maple syrup, bacon & sausage, Take part in the blueberry pie easting contest at 11:00am.  Live music by the Yankee Stompers.  Hay rides and pony rides.  Fee.

Fee Free Day at the Wayside – 455 Lexington Road – Visit the Wayside: Home of the Authors for a complimentary guided tour of the house.  Tours available at 10:00am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm.  Tour limited to 10 people.  Please call for a reservation.

Be Our Guest! Admission Free Summer Evening at the Concord Museum - Lexington Road and Cambridge Turnpike.  - 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. - A summer evening is the perfect opportunity to visit the Concord Museum. Bring family, friends or out of town guests to linger in the Museum’s engaging history galleries and special exhibition of American presidential china, Setting the President’s Table, take in the quiet eloquence of the “Exploring Concord” film, and enjoy the historic beauty of period rooms filled with Concord antiques. Create your own memories with family-friendly, hands-on activities. Visit for the first time or revisit favorite galleries – all free.

Music on the Lawn: Bill Staines – 129 Main Street – 7:00pm -Legendary folk singer who has brought his wonderful singing and guitar playing to the folk scene for many years and numerous miles of travel.  Bring a picnic dinner and a blanket or a chair and enjoy a variety of music.  This series is sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.  The rain location is the Hunt Gym, 90 Stow Street, Concord.

David Parker & The Bang Group - A 10th Anniversary Celebration at Summer Stages Dance – 8:00pm - Performing Arts Center at Concord Academy  - David Parker & The Bang Group will offer a special event this summer to celebrate their tenth annual season at Summer Stages Dance.  Artistic relationships of this depth are rare and something out of the ordinary is called for. Parker and his company will offer a rollicking cabaret-tinged show with singing, dancing, highlights from the last ten years of shows and some on-the-spot choreography bringing the audience into the creative process itself.  Parker will serve as the evening's hoofing-and-crooning guide spiking the proceedings with stories and explanations which animate his devotion to dancing and making dance.  This is a luxurious occasion for the Bang Group to reveal how they do what they do and to open a new kind of dialogue with their beloved Summer Stages audience. Tickets $25 / Students and Seniors $15.

Free Friday Nights at DeCordova – 51 Sandy Pond Road – 5:00 – 9:00pm – The Museum and Park will be open free to visitors.  Guided tours of “The Old, Weird America” and the Sculpture park will be available, along with family art activities, live music and boxed picnic dinners catered by Via Lago of Lexington.  Call for information and to reserve dinner.

Choreographers Project Showcase -Featuring new work by Germaul Barnes, and Resident Fellowship Artists – 8:00pm - Performing Arts Center at Concord Academy - A showcase of new work developed by Choreographers’ Project Fellows and featuring an original piece by dancer and choreographer, and former principal of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zance Dance Company, Germaul Barnes, performed by Summer Stages Workshop participants. Tickets $25 / Students and Seniors $15.

Free Friday Nights at DeCordova – 51 Sandy Pond Road – 5:00 – 9:00pm – The Museum and Park will be open free to visitors.  Guided tours of “The Old, Weird America” and the Sculpture park will be available, along with family art activities, live music and boxed picnic dinners catered by Via Lago of Lexington.  Call for information and to reserve dinner.

First Annual Concord Shakespeare Festival : Much Ado About Shakespeare – a festive conference -  special events all weekend at the Concord Free Public Library and the Masonic Temple on Monument Square

Music on the Lawn: Boogaloo Swamis – 129 Main Street – 7:00pm -The music of the Boogaloo Swamis is influenced by the diversity of the Louisiana bayou.  The group plays a blend of Cajun and Zydeco music.  Bring a picnic dinner and a blanket or a chair and enjoy a variety of music.  This series is sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.  The rain location is the Hunt Gym, 90 Stow Street, Concord.

Corn & Tomato Festival – 11 Wheeler Road – noon – 4:00pm – Check out more than 30 varieties of these two favorite vegetables and sample dishes prepared in the farmstead kitchen.  Live music by Monadnock Bluegrass.  Fee.

Fee Free Day at the Wayside – 455 Lexington Road – Visit the Wayside: Home of the Authors for a complimentary guided tour of the house.  Tours available at 10:00am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm.  Tour limited to 10 people.  Please call for a reservation.

US Air Force Band of Liberty Concert – Concert in Buttrick Garden overlooking the North Bridge 

Be Our Guest! Admission Free Summer Evening at the Concord Museum - Lexington Road and Cambridge Turnpike.  - 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. - A summer evening is the perfect opportunity to visit the Concord Museum. Bring family, friends or out of town guests to linger in the Museum’s engaging history galleries and special exhibition of American presidential china, Setting the President’s Table, take in the quiet eloquence of the “Exploring Concord” film, and enjoy the historic beauty of period rooms filled with Concord antiques. Create your own memories with family-friendly, hands-on activities. Visit for the first time or revisit favorite galleries – all free.

Music on the Lawn: United States Air Force Band of Liberty Colonial Brass   – 129 Main Street – 7:00pm -The Colonial Brass is the Band of Liberty’s brass ensemble.  The group will play traditional music and patriotic favorites. Bring a picnic dinner and a blanket or a chair and enjoy a variety of music.  This series is sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.  The rain location is the Hunt Gym, 90 Stow Street, Concord.

US Air Force Band of Liberty Concert – Concert at the North Bridge – 4:00pm

2nd Annual West Concord Village Day – West Concord Depot parking Lot , Main Street and Commonwealth Ave. – 9:00am – 3:00pm – Yard sale tables, special vendor tables, sidewalk sales, live music, food tables, children’s activities

50th Anniversary Gala – Cary Hall, Lexington – 6:00pm - This celebratory event will feature patriotic and colonial music (including colonial dance demonstrations) and recognition of the park’s key partners and sponsors.

50th Anniversary Day. – Anniversary ceremonies and celebrations involving school children at the North Bridge Visitor Center, Hartwell Tavern Historical Area and Minute man Visitor Center.

Battle Road Open House – 10:00pm – 4:00pm - An “Open House” featuring nine of the park’s historical homes, several of which are not typically open to the public.  Interpreters in period dress will relate the history of the houses and the lives of the families who lived there in 1775.  National Public Lands Day.

Fee Free Day at the Wayside – 455 Lexington Road – Visit the Wayside: Home of the Authors for a complimentary guided tour of the house.  Tours available at 10:00am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm.  Tour limited to 10 people.  Please call for a reservation.