Schedule Released For Darien's Heritage Day Celebration

Darien CT

04 October, 2021

4:57 PM

Description

DARIEN, CT — Darien's history will come to life this fall with a revolutionary celebration: an all-day family event featuring colonial demonstrations, a reenactment of the 1781 Raid on Middlesex Meetinghouse and an 18th century battle skirmish. The town's Heritage Day celebration will be held Oct. 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a rain date scheduled for the following day, at three local historical landmarks. The event will feature members of The Fifth Connecticut Regiment and the 15th Regiment of Foot, two organizations dedicated to keeping the Spirit of '76 alive, according to a news release. The events and activities are being planned by the town's 2020 Bicentennial Committee and are coordinated by Karen Boccadoro, a Darien resident who is a member of the Fifth's board. "We are thrilled to bring this hands-on historical experience to Darien," Boccadoro said in a news release. "It will be a day that will live in our memories for many years to come." Volunteers will portray patriot and loyalist militia groups as they conduct drills and skirmishes. The highlight of the day will be the reenactment of the 1781 Raid of Middlesex Meetinghouse (today's First Congregational Church of Darien). The raid reenactment is co-sponsored by the Darien Arts Center and directed by Carole Claps, a longtime Darien resident who has directed numerous theatrical performances throughout the region. The festivities will kick off at 10:30 a.m. at the Museum of Darien, 45 Old Kings Highway North, where members of the Fifth CT Regiment, dressed in period costume, will conduct colonial cooking and artisan demonstrations, and also mingle with the crowd to talk about life during the War. Children's Musket Drills will be held at 10:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Free refreshments will be provided by Palmer's Market. At 12:45 p.m., the crowd will be invited to stroll up the road to The First Congregational Church of Darien, 14 Brookside Road, where a play recounting the 1781 Raid of Middlesex Meetinghouse will be performed by members of the 15th Regiment of Foot and local volunteer actors. The reenactment will take place outside of the church on the front steps. The play was revised from the original 1980s work by Patricia Wall, the former director of the Museum of Darien. It recounts the Tory raid on the Meetinghouse when over 40 male members of the congregation were kidnapped in a daring Sunday raid. "We have a tremendously enthusiastic group who will portray the men and women of Middlesex Parish who lived through this traumatic revolutionary event," Claps said in a news release. Claps previously directed "Darien's Got Talent" for the Darien Arts Center and produced many Cabaret evenings and performances. At 2:30 p.m., the day will continue to unfold at The Mather Homestead, 19 Stephen Mather Road, where the 1781 raid on the Mather Farm will be reenacted. This drama will recount the moments when silver pieces were discovered by Tory raiders in the well of the Homestead. The day will be capped by a military drill, cannon firing and an exciting demonstration of a skirmish between British and Colonial troops in the fields adjacent to the Homestead. "This has been a tremendous, multi-year effort by a group of very committed volunteers who kept working throughout the pandemic to deliver these memorable Darien Bicentennial events," Al Miller, chairman of the town's 2020 Bicentennial Committee, said in a news release. Members of the Darien Police Department will be on site at all locations to direct traffic. Parking will be available near the museum at 85 Old Kings Highway North and on site at The Mather Homestead. For everyone's safety, organizers ask that all participants comply with current state and local coronavirus guidelines. Further information can be found on the town website.