Patriots’ Day – 250th Anniversary
Please visit our Patriots’ Day page for the full schedule of April 2025 events!
Spring Park Day 2025
Saturday, April 5, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m or 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Minute Man Visitor Center
Free, registration required
Join us for Park Day and help to preserve Minute Man National Historical Park, one of our nation’s most iconic and historic battlefields. Volunteer tasks may include the removal of invasive plants, seeding native plants, caring for orchards and stone walls, maintaining trails, removing trash, raking leaves, sweeping, or pulling weeds while learning about the Park’s history and ecology from cultural and natural resource team leaders.
With the upcoming 250th Anniversary of April 19, 1775, we’ll also work to clear the landscape of hazards for the hundreds of reenactors participating in April 2025 events.
Spring Park Day 2025 will take place on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 9:00 am to 11:30 am and 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm. You can choose to join the morning team, the afternoon team, or both! The meeting location for both sessions is the Minute Man Visitor Center (MMVC). Please park at the MMVC parking lot at 210 North Great Road, Lincoln, MA.
Please wear long pants, closed-toe shoes, a long-sleeved shirt, a sun hat, and weather-appropriate layers. Bring a water bottle and a snack. We will provide tools, gloves, and other safety gear. If you have your own work gloves, you can bring those as well. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Rachel Vincent at [email protected]. If you have any questions about your registration, please contact Kathleen Fahey at [email protected].
If you are a minor (under age 18) and plan to participate without a parent or guardian, please complete the necessary paperwork in advance by contacting Rachel Vincent at [email protected] for more information.
Click Here to Register. Registration for this event will close at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 3 to give staff appropriate time to prepare. Thank you for pre-registering, we look forward to seeing you there!
This event is co-sponsored by Friends of Minute Man National Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, and the American Battlefield Trust.
Buttrick Gardens Tour
Thursdays, May 29, June 26, and July 31, 2025
Buttrick Gardens or via Zoom
Free, registration is required and opens in May
Join us for a free tour of the Buttrick Gardens at Minute Man National Historical Park. Kathleen Fahey, Executive Director of the Friends of Minute Man, will discuss the history and preservation of these beautiful gardens. If you join us in person on May 29 or June 26th at 10:00 a.m., we’ll find shady spots to view the plantings and historic images of the gardens. If you join us via Zoom on July 24th at 7:00 p.m., we’ll view the garden in all four seasons and explore historic images.
Beginning in 1911, two generations of the Buttrick family tended and enlarged the formal gardens until 1962, when the National Park Service purchased the property. Stewards of the land since the colonial period, the Buttrick family was proud that their gardens stood near the historic muster fields of April 19, 1775. The eclectic gardens feature viewing terraces, steps leading down to the Concord River, elegant wrought ironwork, and brick, bluestone, and cobblestone walkways. Framed by ornamental trees and shrubs, the garden beds contain the Buttrick family’s award-winning iris and daylilies, colorful spring bulbs, and perennials that bloom from spring to fall.
Before joining the Friends of Minute Man in 2019, Kathleen Fahey spent over 20 years as a material culture historian at local historical sites and has a background in landscape and garden history.
- Thursday, May 29 at 10:00 a.m. tour in person – Registration opens in May
- Thursday, June 26 at 10:00 a.m. tour in person – Registration opens in May
- Thursday, July 31 at 7:00 p.m. lecture via Zoom – Registration opens in May
In-person tours are located at 174 Liberty Street, Concord, MA, and are rain or shine, so bring an umbrella if needed! In the case of thunderstorms, we may need to reschedule or stop a tour.
To learn more or donate to the Buttrick Gardens, please visit our garden webpage. To schedule a private tour or lecture for groups, please contact Kathleen Fahey at [email protected].
Buttrick Garden tours are sponsored by Friends of Minute Man and Minute Man National Historical Park. The May tour is offered in partnership with Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area’s Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History.
Spring Bird Walk
Thursday, June 5, 2024
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Minute Man National Historical Park
Free, registration is required and opens in May
Join the Friends of Minute Man National Park for a spring bird walk! For many bird watchers, spring migration is the most exciting time of the year. We will observe birds in their colorful breeding plumage, listen to their songs, and learn which are passing through on their way north and which will stay to nest right at Minute Man National Historical Park. We’ll take a one-mile stroll through the park with Kathy Dia to see and hear some of these beautiful visitors as they court and fuel up for their journey north.
Kathy Dia leads bird programs for Mass Audubon and the Brookline Bird Club. She is a volunteer monitor for Northeast Temperate Network’s breeding bird survey at Minute Man National Historical Park.
Please wear appropriate footwear as we will walk along paved paths and unpaved trails, which may be muddy. Bring water and binoculars if you have them; we will have a few pairs of binoculars to loan.
Free and open to the public; registration is required as limited spots are available. Registration opens in May; please return here for a link.
This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of Minute Man National Park and Minute Man National Historical Park.
Bird photography courtesy of Kathy and Jay Dia.
Past 2025 Events
The Hive: A Symposium for Living History Interpreters
Saturday, Feb 8, 2025, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm (**Commemorative Coin Sales)
Sunday, Feb 9, 2024, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Massachusetts National Guard Armory
91 Everett St., Concord, MA
Free, Registration is required
Back by popular demand, Minute Man National Historical Park, Friends of Minute Man National Park, Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, Revolution 250, and the Massachusetts Army National Guard are pleased to present The Hive: A Symposium for Living History Interpreters! This two-day symposium is geared toward reenactors and living history interpreters for the early period of the American Revolution. It will feature scholars and subject matter experts, presentations, and hands-on breakout sessions.
Each morning will begin with musket drill sessions (bring your own musket and empty cartridge box as all muskets will be inspected for safety), open office hours for friendly kit consultations, comfortable sewing circles, and a show-and-tell of original 18th-century objects. Afternoons include formal presentations and break-out sessions. Click here for the full schedule and list of presenters.
Wearing your historical clothing is encouraged if you wish to receive consultation on either of the days. Please note: If you wear period shoes, please ensure they do not have metal heel plates or hobnails. The floor of the main room is of highly polished wood and will be damaged by plates or hobnails.
Please bring your lunch for a lunch break each day. Sorry, no fridge or microwave is available. Light refreshments will be served.
A small parking lot with accessible parking is available at the Massachusetts National Guard Armory at 91 Everett Street, Concord, MA. There is also ample free on-street parking on adjacent streets and additional parking available at the Alcott Elementary School, 93 Laurel Street, Concord, MA. A wheelchair lift is available to enter the building.
Register Here. This is an in-person event; sorry, virtual participation is not available. Free and open to the general public. For more information about the event, please contact Jim Hollister, Park Ranger, at [email protected]. For questions about your registration, please contact Kathleen Fahey, Friends of Minute Man Executive Director, at [email protected].
Don’t wait to register! Tickets are on sale until Thursday, February 6th at 10:00 am, but we expect this event to sell out before then.
**A limited number of 250th Anniversary Commemorative Coins will be on sale to participants of The Hive on Saturday, February 8th, for the discounted price of $20 plus tax (cash appreciated, but cards also accepted). Learn more or order online for home delivery**
Past Events
Click here to view past events at the Friends of Minute Man National Park and Minute Man National Park.