At Old Fort Niagara’s ‘Patriots’ Day Weekend’ event on April 27 and 28, visitors will experience living-history fun while learning about the American Revolution and how it started on the battlefields of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts.
Staff, volunteers and visiting reenacting units will present musket-firing demonstrations, uniform programs and 18th century military drills, and recruit visitors to “enlist” in the British or American armies. Activities will happen indoors and out, and tours of the fort will be offered each hour.
‘Patriots’ Day Weekend’ also honors all veterans and U.S. military service members, who will be admitted free with proper ID. A ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday will award special plaques to:
- Corporal Eugene Francis Flynn, U.S. Marine Corps, decorated veteran of the Korean War, who was wounded twice in service, earning two purple hearts.
- Corporal Stanley Michael Jamalkowski (posthumously), U.S. Marine Corps, veteran of World War II, who fought in the Battle of Okinawa.
Volunteer reenactors from Hoisington's New York Rangers sponsor this annual event with the help of Brant's Volunteers, 64th Regiment of Foot, and Fort McIntosh Garrison reenactment units. In addition, Old Fort Niagara’s interpreters and volunteers will participate. Reenactors will portray Colonial Rebels, Colonial Loyalist and British Redcoats and present the following schedule both days:
10 a.m. Assemble – Reenactors will gather on the parade grounds
10:30 a.m. Musket Demonstration – Visitors will learn about the weapon that
soldiers used during the war
11 a.m. Recruiting Demonstration – Visitors can "enlist" as Rebels or
Loyalists and act in a mock battle
12 p.m. Storytelling about the Battles of Lexington and Concord that started
the American Revolution
12:30 p.m. Musket Demonstration
1:00 p.m. Uniforms and Clothing of the American Revolution
1:30 p.m. Musket Demonstration
2 p.m. (Saturday) Veterans’ Honor Ceremony and Musket Firing
2 p.m. (Sunday) Patriots’ Day Honors and Musket Firing
2:30 p.m. Tactical Demonstration by Reenactors
4:15 p.m. Musket Demonstration
Daily admission to ‘Patriots’ Day Weekend’ is $13 for adults, $9 for children ages 6-12, free for children ages 5 and under, and free for Old Fort Niagara Association members. Veterans and active military service people will be admitted free with proper ID.
About Patriots’ Day
Patriots’ Day is a civic holiday that is observed in some New England states on the third Monday of April. It was established in the late 1890s to commemorate the April 19, 1775, Battles of Lexington and Concord that officially began the American Revolution.
Here, on the Niagara Frontier, those first musket shots of war were not heard, but the results of that conflict came to define the Niagara River border we share with Canada. The 1783 Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the American Revolution, established borders, including ours, between the newly established United States of America and the British colony we know as Canada.
Upcoming Events
Old Fort Niagara's re-enactment season continues with regular events through the summer.
May 4-5: Civil War Artillery School
Civil War reenactors practice their weaponry skills at the fort.
May 25-26: Soldiers through the Ages
Meet soldiers from the 17th through 20th centuries in this “timeline” event. Special programs and displays interpret military life from early explorers through the Vietnam War.
July 5, 6, 7: French and Indian War Encampment
Relive the Siege of 1759 when British and New York soldiers besieged French-held Fort Niagara. Battle reenactments, large living history camps. The site’s largest event of the year.
August 10-11: Soldiers of the Revolution
This living history event recreates the War for Independence on the New York frontier. Battle reenactments, hands-on activities for families, plus music and games.
August 31 and September 1: War of 1812 Encampment
Living history during the day and an evening battle reenactment show how the British surprised the American garrison during the War of 1812.
Old Fort Niagara (www.oldfortniagara.org) is a Registered National Historic Landmark and New York State Historic Site operated by the Old Fort Niagara Association, a not-for-profit organization, in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The site is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the last tickets sold at 4:30 p.m. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Photos courtesy Wayne Peters