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And, that was just the start.
For the next five days and nights, Patriots’ Week celebrates Trenton’s pivotal role during the American Revolution with reenactments, art, music and literature.
And, if yesterday’s opening events are any indication, then this second annual history blitz has caught on quickly, as bigger-than-expected crowds turned out all day.
Out on South Warren Street in the late afternoon, Patriots’ Week Manager Amy Brummer wore a wide smile as family after family arrived at Gallery 125 for a rendition of a Colonial-era "Punch and Judy" puppet show, complete with live music.
The fife and drum band had just marched its way over to the Marriott Hotel, where a crowd that was three times bigger than expected had to be shifted to the hotel ballroom for a "Revolution 101" primer on General Washington’s comings and goings in Trenton and Princeton in 1776.
After that, historians acting in the roles of Washington and British Generals Howe and Cornwallis entertained about 150 discussing their military tactics and taking questions.
"We’re very excited about the big turnouts on our first day," Brummer said. "This being our second year, we got the word out there better than last year. We couldn’t have done it without the internet."
George Washington depending on the internet?
Today’s Patriots’ Week events begin this morning with an exhibit of Washington’s famous "Letter to the Ladies of Trenton" at the Wachovia Bank branch on West State Street.
There are so many great events today and the rest of the week that a history buff could keep busy night and day.
There are walking tours andbus tours covering the 10 crucial days Washington’s troops spent here--days that historians conclude were the turning point in the war.
There are lectures, concerts and even a dinner at the Marriott hosted by George and Martha.
It all concludes on Saturday, with reenactments of the first and second Battles of Trenton on the same city streets where the1776 fighting actually occurred, with British and Colonial troops trying to outsmart, outmaneuver (and outshoot) each other from Pennington Avenue to the Old Barracks to the Battle Monument to Mill Hill Park.
Undertaken by the Trenton Downtown Association, Patriots’ Week most definitely drew out-of-towners to the city yesterday and the goal is to draw consistent crowds the rest of the way.
For up-to-the-moment information, visit patriotsweek.com or trentonhistory.org, the site of the Trenton Historical Society.
People in Iowa or elsewhere can only read about Colonial history and Washington’s troops. We here in Trenton bump into the history every day, and, for the next few days, we’ll be bumping into the troops, as well.
Carl Barbati is editor of The Trentonian. He can be reached at (609) 989-7800, ext. 201 or at cbarbati@trentonian.com.
