The Bedford Minuteman Company’s 54th Annual Pole Capping Ceremony ~ Saturday, April 7 at 10:30 am

Jim Griffith, atop the Liberty Pole at Willson Park in 2017 – Image (c) Jeff ‘JHO’ Hoyland, 2017 all rights reserved

Compiled by The Bedford Citizen

Nearly 400 Colonial reenactors will descend on Bedford on Saturday, April 7, to kick off 2018’s Patriot’s Day celebration at Bedford’s 54th annual Liberty Pole Capping ceremony at Willson Park.

The reenactors often arrive in Bedford quite early when they join locals for the Pancake Breakfast prepared by First Parish’s Partner Church Committee. Fresh-cooked pancakes, sausages, juice, and coffee will be served in the Common Room from 8 until 10 am for a modest fee, $5 per person (if you plan to attend, use the fully-accessible Elm Street entrance). The breakfast is a fundraiser to benefit Abasfalva, First Parish’s partner village in Transylvania.

At 10:30 am, the Bedford Minuteman Company will step off from the Common, leading a parade of visiting militia companies along The Great Road to Willson Park. The Bedford Company pauses at Fitch Tavern to collect the Liberty Pole before proceeding to Willson Park for speeches and ceremonies. The Liberty Pole is raised, a Bedford Minuteman scales it and puts his red Liberty cap on the top of the pole. The British Regulars have been watching, and a kerfuffle ensues as the patriot is ‘arrested’ in the name of the Crown.

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It’s all in good fun and the colorful ceremony, unique to Bedford, is a signature community event.

The Bedford Police Department notes that at 10:20 am on Saturday, the intersection at Willson Park will be closed and traffic will be detoured. The Great Road and Mudge Way will also be closed during the parade, and so that the visiting companies can make their way to the Bedford High School cafeteria for lunch.

Several of Bedford’s finest photographers shared their images from the 2017 celebration, and The Citizen has compiled them in this 14-page PDF that you can view, print or download from this link. For The Citizen’s report on the 2017 celebration, click this link!

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