The celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution officially begins this Saturday in Bedford when the Bedford Minuteman Company and Minuteman companies from around the area converge on Willson Park to honor the spirit and courage of the patriots who stood up to the tyrant King George III and the heartless British Empire.
Bedford’s Pole Capping is the first event of the two-year national semiquincentennial celebration of the American Revolution.
The parade/collation takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The parade formation is at 10 a.m. on the Bedford Common and the march to Willson Park (located at the intersection of The Great Road/Concord Road/North Road) begins at 10:30 a.m.
There will be a pancake breakfast prior to Pole Capping at First Parish on the Bedford Common, 75 Great Rd. Breakfast is $5 per person.
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For the safety of the public, The Great Road will be closed to traffic (horseless and horse-powered coaches, plows, and buggies) between Willson Park and Springs/South roads from approximately 10:15 a.m. to noon. Traffic will be detoured around the event.
No parking will be allowed between 1 a.m. and noon on The Great Road between the South/Springs roads intersection and The Great Road and Concord/North roads intersection. Vehicles parked in that area during the parking ban will be subject to royal removal via towing.
Shhhh…don’t tell the British, but Ryan Ouellette will be climbing the town’s liberty pole for the second time. Although the Red Coats will surely want to take him away, the rest of us will cheer him on!
There will also be local dignitaries on hand, including Bedford’s Citizen of the Year and Township Historian Sharon McDonald, who will be amongst the speakers. The Bedford Minuteman Captain is Peter Secor and the Master of Ceremonies for this year’s act of defiance to the Crown is Jim Ringwood. And the prime coordinator of this year’s rebellious event is Chuck Hacala.
Please be advised that the King’s Regiment will also be present.
Another predicted presence at this year’s uprising is rain. Usually, the Minutemen don’t allow Red Coats or the need for Rain Coats to stop the events of Pole Capping Day in Bedford. As of Thursday, our acts of rebellion are still scheduled for Saturday regardless of weather conditions. However, should heavy sogginess occur, it might be wise to check by clicking here for the latest updates.
What is Pole Capping?According to the Bedford Minutemen, “This ceremony features a march, displays of musketry, and music of the period performed by the men and women of the many Minuteman Companies in attendance. But the main event – which draws not only spectators, but also the soldiers of His Majesty’s 10th Regiment of Foot, intent on stopping the defiant rabble-rousing – is the raising of a tall wooden pole, which is climbed by a Bedford Minuteman and affixed with a red knitted cap.”
The “Pole Capping” is a reenactment of the practice in Colonial America of showing dissatisfaction with various harsh rulings and conduct of the English government in territories it held here.
“This defiance to the British Crown showed the spirit of liberty exemplified by Bedfordians and other colonials in the early phases of the War for Independence.”
According to the Minutemen, “the Liberty Pole was started with a tree, not a pole, in 1765 by a group of American Colonials in Boston. The Sons of Liberty, as they became known to be called, would meet at the base of a large elm tree at the juncture of Washington and Essex streets in Boston. From the trunk of the tree was fastened a pole which rose far above the topmost branch, and a red flag floated from it as an understood signal to call together the fearless members of the organization.”
That tree was known as the “Liberty Tree” and the ground below, “Liberty Hall.” It was done to carry on the voice of the Sons of Liberty to “rise and fight against the country’s oppressors.”
With British soldiers on the prowl for them, the Sons of Liberty met secretly, with the Liberty Tree keeping its status until the winter of 1775-76, when British soldiers cut it down.
Boston was not the only place with Liberty poles. They were also erected – and cut down by the British – in New York.
According to the Minutemen, “The Town of Bedford displayed equally the spirit and courage of their compatriots with, among other acts of courage, the erection of their own Liberty Pole. It is in commemoration of those men, and their American feeling for Liberty, that the Bedford Minuteman Company conducts its annual Liberty Pole Capping and Raising ceremonies.”
Wayne Braverman is the Managing Editor of The Bedford Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected], or 781-430-8837.