Tricorn hats and musket shots on Patriots Day

(Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

LEXINGTON -- Hundreds gathered at hallowed Lexington Green early this morning for the annual Patriots Day reenactment of the historic battle of Lexington, kicking off a full slate of ceremonies marking the start of the Revolutionary War.

In a youth parade through the flag-lined center of town, boy scouts wearing tricorn hats marched in mock high step to the rat-a-tat-tat of a middle school band. Girl scouts, their merit badges on full display, struggled to hold American flags much taller than they. Parents waved from the sidewalk at their children or ran along side with camcorders to preserve the moment. Families dined at the First Baptist Church's pancake breakfast, then gathered at the green for a ceremony honoring the 233d anniversary of the battle that started the war for independence.

At 8 a.m. musket fire punctuated the end of the National Anthem and the American flag was raised high above the green as young children, who were celebrating a week off from school, played on hay bales that lined the green. Watching the ceremony from a park bench, Barbara Bell, 63, of Stow, said she was taking in as much of the weekend's historical offerings as she could. On Saturday, she woke up early to watch the reenactment at Concord's Old North Bridge and this morning she was back for more.

"I was lucky to get a spot," Bell said.

Parents took pictures of their children with Red Coats and colonists. "There aren't too many opportunities to go back in time like this," said Dan Olsen of Arlington, who smiled as he snapped a photograph of his daughters, Alma, 7, and Naomi, 3.

His wife, Susan, said their Patriots Day tradition would continue with a second parade at 2 p.m. in Lexington. The youth parade was just a warm up, she said.

The Olsens, like many early-rising history buffs, said they had no plans for the Boston Marathon.

"There's too much going on over here," she said.

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