Patriots' Day

Statue of the Lexington Minuteman on the Lexington Green in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Patriots' Grave in the Old Burying Ground, Arlington, Massachusetts.

Acton Monument, gravesite of Abner Hosmer and Isaac Davis, who fell at North Bridge on April 19, 1775.

Patriots' Day (sometimes incorrectly punctuated Patriot's Day or Patriots Day) is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. It is observed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts^[1] and state of Maine^[2] (once part of Massachusetts), and is a public school observance day in Wisconsin^[3]. Observances and re-enactments of these first battles of the American Revolution occur annually at Lexington Green in Lexington, Massachusetts, (around 6am) and The Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts (around 9am). In the morning, a mounted reenactor with State Police escort retraces Paul Revere's ride, calling out warnings the whole way.

Public holiday

Traditionally it was designated as April 19 in observance of the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. Since 1969, however, the holiday has been observed on the third Monday in April, providing a three-day long weekend. It is also a school holiday for many local colleges and universities, both public and private.

Sporting events

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The Boston Marathon is run on Patriots' Day every year so many Bostonians know the holiday as "Marathon Monday."

The Boston Red Sox have traditionally been scheduled to play at home in Fenway Park on Patriots' Day every year since 1959. They were postponed due to bad weather in 1959, 1961, 1965, 1967, and 1984 and did not play in 1995 during the players' strike. Since 1968 the games have started early in the morning around 11:00 AM. In 2007, the game had a scheduled start of 10:05 AM, but was delayed due to rain until 12:18 PM. The early start to these games usually resulted in the game ending just as the marathon is heading through Kenmore Square. However, since 2007 the marathon has started between 9:30 AM and 10:00 AM, resulting in the racers going through Kenmore towards the middle of the Red Sox game.

Tax Day implications

Occasionally, the U.S. federal Tax Day falls on this day or the preceding weekend, causing the federal income tax return filing deadline to be extended by one day for the residents of Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. This is because the IRS processing center for these areas is located in Andover, Massachusetts^[4]. In 2007, this extension was granted to the entire country because the District of Columbia holiday, Emancipation Day, coincidentally fell on the same day.^[5] In addition to these extensions, in 2007 due to a nor'easter (which also forced the first-ever cancellation of the annual 6 a.m. battle re-enactment on Lexington Green), certain states were granted an additional two days for taxes, bringing the deadline to April 19. Those who filed under this extension had to write "April 16 Storm" on the return.^[6]

Recent and future dates

• 2008: Monday, April 21
• 2009: Monday, April 20
• 2010: Monday, April 19
• 2011: Monday, April 18
• 2012: Monday, April 16

See also

• Patriot Day (September 11, a similar name but unrelated event)
• Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)
• Bunker Hill Day
• Massacre Day
• Holidays of the United States
• Carolina Day

External links

• Patriot's Day information, via noblenet.org
• Information about Battle Reenactments, via battleroad.org
• Full Schedule of Concord Patriots Day Events and Video, via theconcordlife.com

References

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