Latest news with #TwoLightsforTomorrow
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Marshall, Texas re-enactment celebrates America's 250th anniversary
MARSHALL, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) — America 250, a celebration of the upcoming semi-quincentennial, will host events across the country until July 4, 2026. More Harrison County 250 news The first events took place over the weekend with Two Lights for Tomorrow, ceremonies and tributes to Paul Revere and the rest of the Midnight Riders. One of the most unique events took place in Marshall. Marshall was the only city in Texas to host a re-enactment. Harrison County America 250 chair Steven McFarland planned to do a ceremony like everyone else. Talk about the history, read speeches, and praise Revere and other participants until someone on the committee pitched an idea. To have a re-enactment. With some trepidation, McFarland agreed to try. More local news This idea led to many issues. How to format a re-enactment? Where to get a horse? Who to play Paul Revere? His story was immortalized in a poem by Longfellow, making him one of the most well-known figures of the American Revolution. A poorly done re-enactment could be disastrous. Enter Longview resident Pepper Stuart, a 12-year-old with a love of history and a horse. Steven contacted the family, and Pepper had one condition: she wanted to yell, 'The British are coming.' The story of the Midnight Riders is more complicated than that, and as Steven and Pepper talked, they devised a plan. What if she researched multiple riders and wrote speeches from each perspective? McFarland readily agreed. One of the most creative events to commemorate the Midnight Riders was largely the brainchild of a 12-year-old. On performance night, Pepper read her first essay as Revere, then rode around the square as McFarland explained more of the history. Then she performed as Isaac Bissell, a rider who delivered mail during that time. She rode off again and returned to perform as Sybil Ludington, a 16-year-old credited with making her own ride to raise the alarm for an ongoing attack. America 250, like Pepper, was officially underway. For information on more events, visit America 250 or Harrison County America 250. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Salem honoring American Revolution's 250th anniversary
SALEM, Ohio (WKBN) — Saturday marked the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, the night before was Paul Revere's famous ride. Monday evening in Salem, they're commemorating the historic midnight ride. It's part of a nationwide initiative called 'Two Lights for Tomorrow,' kicking off celebrations of the United States' 250th birthday. This initiative calls for two lights to be displayed in statehouses across the country, honoring the famous signal 'one if by land, and two if my sea.' In Columbus Friday, two lights were displayed in the statehouse, and Salem wanted to take part as well. 'We do have an area businessman who is a descendant of William Dawes; we thought that was interesting,' Salem Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey said. 'We also had been asked to put two lights up, and we thought we can do better.' The event starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Plaza Gazebo. The mayor says the whole program will be about 30-45 minutes, and it's happening rain or shine. 'We will have a reading of the actual history of Paul Revere's ride, and the person doing that reading will be William Dawes, who is a namesake and descendant of the actual William Dawes who rode with Paul Revere that evening,' Dickey said. This Two Light Night is a kickoff to the America 250 celebrations, which the Mayor says Salem is excited to take part in. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The history is coming: Utah to honor Paul Revere, American Revolution 250 years later
Paul Revere died nearly three decades before pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley and settled in what would eventually become America's 45th state. However, Douglas McGregor believes Revere's legendary ride through the Boston area the night before the battles of Lexington and Concord ignited the American Revolution — historic moments that turn 250 over the next few days — and played a significant role in setting off a chain reaction, leading to what Utah is today. "Utah is made up of American citizens, and as Americans we all share the same heritage — whether it took place in the 13 colonies or took place in Texas," said McGregor, state secretary and treasurer of the Utah Sons of the American Revolution. "Wherever it happened ... we are all Americans, and that is our heritage; that is our history." Utah is now commemorating those moments with a series of events at the Utah Capitol Friday night and Saturday morning, the exact anniversaries of the pivotal moments leading up to the founding of the United States. The events are led by Utah chapters of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution in coordination with America250 Utah, with the first taking place on the Capitol lawn from 8-10 p.m. A pair of Capitol searchlights will shine into the night sky Friday as one of the more than 200 sites across the nation participating in an event called "Two Lights for Tomorrow." The lights will represent the two lanterns used atop the Old North Church in Boston to signal the arrival of British troops. Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott used those lanterns to warn revolutionary soldiers and Massachusetts residents of the British movements. Two replicas of the lanterns used on the night of April 18, 1775, will also be on display, McGregor said, and experts will be on hand to answer all the burning questions history buffs may have. A second event is planned at the Capitol from 10-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the "shot heard 'round the world" and the first war battles in the Colonial fight for independence. Military arms that the Revolutionary War soldiers would have used at the time and some of the nation's founding documents will be displayed, as will a "rare" 4-foot replica of the Minute Man statue designed by the same artist behind the iconic statue in Concord, Massachusetts. Federal judge and author Ted Stewart will deliver a keynote address, and there will be a performance by the Hope for American Children's Choir. It's the first time Utah will celebrate Patriots' Day after state leaders passed a resolution recognizing the holiday that honors the start of the American Revolution. "Utah has never made this big of a celebration of April 19," McGregor told Many more anniversary events are still to come. The 250th anniversaries of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines will happen at different points later this year. July is the beginning of a one-year countdown to the nation's 250th birthday, said Ronald Fox, co-chairman of America250 Utah. That's when the commission will start to hold activities and educational opportunities all across the state, ensuring that every county can participate in some way. The celebrations will honor all kinds of state history, including the Indigenous peoples who have lived on the land for thousands of years, as well as the Domínguez-Escalante Expedition, the first European exploration of the area, which also turns 250 in 2026. The semiquincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, will be the crown jewel of everything. Its history matters to Utah, even if it came well before the state's pioneer establishment. 'We have an opportunity to remember why we have freedom (and) why we have liberty,' McGregor said. 'There's a reason that we do, and it's because of what has happened before us.'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Celebrate the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride at these Maine events
Apr. 17—Friday marks the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride and the beginning of the American Revolution, at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Maine's Henry Wadsworth Longfellow made Revere and his mission to warn people of advancing British soldiers part of our national story with his 1860 poem "Paul Revere's Ride." Two Lights for Tomorrow is a nationwide observance to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the events of April 18-19, 1775, and their importance in the founding of the United States. Communities and organizations all over Maine will be placing two lights in homes or buildings — as mentioned in Longfellow's poem — in honor of the events. In Portland, two lanterns will be hung in windows at the Wadsworth-Longfellow House and the Maine Historical Society's Brown Research library all weekend long. Here's a list of some of the events in Maine on Friday commemorating the anniversary. AUGUSTA On Friday, excerpts of "Paul Revere's Ride" will be read at 11:30 a.m. in the Hall of Flags at the state capitol by Portland Youth Poet Laureate Yashaswini Derisala. Then at 7:30 p.m., there will be a lantern lighting ceremony in Capitol Park. PORTLAND Lexington to Longfellow: The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere — Tom Putnam of Kennebunkport, former director of the Concord Museum and the John F. Kennedy Library, will give a talk on Revere's ride, Longfellow's poem, and the events of April 18 and 19, 1775, Friday at 1 p.m. at the Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress St. The event is free but people are asked to register online at One If By Land, Two If By Sea: a Two Lights Commemoration — Spirits Alive and Maine Historical Society will co-host a reading of Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride" by community members at 7 p.m. at Eastern Cemetery, 224 Congress St. The event is free and no registration is required. ELSEWHERE Let Freedom Ring is a coordinated bell-ringing event at churches and other buildings around the country around 6 p.m. In South Portland, the Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse bell will be rung at 5:30 p.m. At First Parish Church UCC in Gorham, a Paul Revere bell will be rung. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Marshall, Texas, begins year-long celebration for America's 250th birthday
MARSHALL, TX. (KTAL/KMSS) — In July 2026, America will celebrate its 250th historic birthday. Marshall, Texas, will honor the nation's early history with year-long celebrations starting this month. More Texas news In the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party, tensions were high. While no one knew how, there was no doubt the British would respond. The solution was fairly simple: 'One if by land, two if by sea.' Paul Revere took a legendary ride to warn the residents of Boston that the British army was moving to attack and capture the leaders of the fledgling revolution. That ride, immortalized in the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, is one of the most famous events of the American Revolution. 250 years later, you can see a version of the ride. Harrison County America 250 is hosting Two Lights for Tomorrow, a re-enactment of one of America's most legendary tales. Two Lights for Tomorrow will be the first event in a year-long celebration of the nation's founding. The event will include a 30-minute presentation followed by the re-enactment and essays written from the perspective of Revere and other riders. It will conclude with a performance by military veteran and musician Kim Donnette. The festivities are free and open to the public at 1 Peter Whetstone Square, Marshall, TX, on Friday, April 18th, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
