Friends of Minute Man National Park

Last Sunday, The Friends of Minute Man made their debut appearance in the 2010 Sundays in the Park series and we met lots of interesting people! Thanks to everyone who stopped by our location near the Hartwell Tavern parking area, and particularly to Franny Sacco and Gary Baker for helping setup our Friends tents.

This was our Favorite Faces & Places display that we encouraged Friends members and visitors to add their names too. As the weeks continue, we’ll replace their names with the photographs that were taken at the park. You can see that North Bridge and Hartwell Tavern were two of the hot spots mentioned last week!

We were able to meet first time visitors, longtime Friends’ members, and even make some new friends.  Friends’ Member Paul O’Shaughnessy is pictured at left with friends, Adam and Steve.

Today, Sunday, June 6th, the Friends will be back in the Park from 2-4 near the Minute Man Visitor Center, 250 North Great Road in Lincoln, Ma. We’ll continue to capture your favorite places in the park and add more photos to our favorite faces!

The Ladies of Refined Taste & Friends are pleased to announce their Fifth Annual Hive Clothing Workshop Season. The Hive will be held on one Sunday of each month from January to March from 1pm–4pm at Minute Man National Historic Park in Concord, MA. They’re thrilled about this year’s schedule and have tried to make sure there’s something for everyone.

This year, the first Hive on Sunday, Janaury 17th will be a mini-symposium at the MMNHP main visitor center in Lincoln (topic: “Why We Wear What We Wear”). The second Hive on February 14th and the third Hive on March 14th, at the Noah Brooks Tavern on Rte. 2A, will include sewing bees, clinics, and project series. Please check the Hive website for any changes in venue and/or any cancellations due to weather. As before, the Sunday Hive sessions are free of charge to reenactors and Park volunteers—please note some do require pre-registration and a few have a fee for materials—and there are also specialized fee-based Saturday sessions available.

DOWNLOAD the 2010 Hive Sunday Sessions Brochure (pdf)

For questions and more information on Hive workshops
contact Stephanie Smith at stephzsmith@gmail.com with your questions.

The forum will be back on Thursday, November 12th!

18th Century Research Forum
Featuring historian Don Hagist

November 12, 7:30 p.m.
Minute Man Visitor Center, 250 Great Road, Lincoln

November’s 18th Century Research Forum features Historian Dan Hagist, who will take a detailed look at the demographics of the British garrison in Boston, focusing on one regiment, the 22nd, as an example. During this presentation, Dan will take the information from the general level and then work down to discussing individual soldiers, showing the diverse nature of the army in terms of ages, nationalities and background of the soldiers serving in it.

Free and open to the public.

Don’t miss your final chance to see previews from Ken Burn’s upcoming documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Join the Friends of Minute Man Park this evening for the last of three screening nights that will feature exclusive footage as well as deleted scenes from the film.

Thursday, September 10th
6:00 p.m.
Minute Man Visitor Center
250 North Great Road, Lincoln MA
(Route 2A Lexington/Lincoln)

This film previews are free and open to the public on a first come, first served basis. For more information, please contact Carrie Midura at carrie@friendsofminuteman.org.

Join park staff and volunteers for more programs in the Untold Stories series. All programs are free and open to the public.

“Our Friend the Fugitive”
Sunday, September 6th, 2:00 P.M.
Sunday, October 25th, 2:00 P.M.
Minute Man Visitor Center, Lexington

The Wayside sheltered slave owners, the enslaved African of the Whitney  family, and fugitive slaves. Join Park Volunteer Jane Sciacca and explore  the actions of Casey, the Alcotts and the extended Hawthorne family as they  faced the realities of slavery.  Free.

Slave, Soldier, Citizen: The Revolutionary Story of Prince Estabrook
Sunday, September 13th, 2:00 P.M.  (Please note change of time.)
Minute Man Visitor Center, Lexington

Join Park Ranger and Lexington Minute Man Charlie Price as he recounts the  story of Prince Estabrook, a slave who fought in the first battle of the  American Revolutionary War.  This program will be presented September 13th.  Free.

The British Redcoat
Saturday, October 10th, 1:00 P.M.
Minute Man Visitor Center, Lexington

Why were the “Regulars” in Massachusetts? Why did they come to Concord?  What happened on April 19, 1775 from the perspective of the King’s Army?  Join Park Ranger Roger Fuller to explore the answers to these questions.

Minute Man National Historical Park is pleased to present our 18th Century Research Forum at Minute Man Visitor Center, for the enrichment of the local historical and living history/reenactment community. All are welcome. Forums  will be held every other month, September – March. The first forum will feature historian J.L. Bell.

September`s Topic: “Tracking Down Deserters”
September 17th at  7:30 p.m.
Minute Man Visitor Center
250 North Great Road, Lincoln, MA

Men who deserted from the British Army to the Continentals (or vice versa) are among the most intriguing characters of the Revolutionary War. Researching them is especially knotty because sources on their lives are often far apart in perspective, not to mention distance. Furthermore, those men had good reasons to conceal their pasts—so well in some cases that our standard histories still tell their cover stories.

In this presentation, Boston 1775 blogger J. L. Bell describes some of the deserters he`s tracking, including a prominent captain in the Continental artillery.

For more of J.L. Bell`s writings, visit his blog, www.boston1775.net

Don’t miss your chance to see previews from Ken Burn’s upcoming documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Join the Friends of Minute Man Park this evening for the second of three screening nights that will feature exclusive footage as well as deleted scenes from the film.

Thursday, August 27th
6:00 p.m.
Minute Man Visitor Center
250 North Great Road, Lincoln MA
(Route 2A Lexington/Lincoln)

These film previews are free and open to the public on a first come, first served basis. For more information, please contact Carrie Midura at carrie@friendsofminuteman.org.

Minute Man National Historical Park is looking for families with children ages 4-7 to help us test our newest Junior Ranger Book.

The books will be available at the Minute Man Visitor Center the week of August 16 – 22, 2009. There is a short form to fill out to provide feed back on what to keep, what your children enjoyed the most, and any suggestions you have to improve the product before we introduce it to the public.  We hope you and your children find the book age appropriate and fun.

Naturally your child will earn her or his Junior Ranger Badge for helping us test this new Junior Ranger book!

The more the merrier!  So if you have friends, family or neighbors with children ages 4-7 please spread the word.  The more feed back we get the better our new book will be.

Thank you,
Maria Cole
Park Ranger

Members of the public are invited to view exclusive footage from Ken Burns’s upcoming documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea which will premier in September on PBS stations nationwide.

This preview, developed exclusively for National Park partner organizations, such as the Friends of Minute Man National Park, features behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes and commentary by Filmmaker Ken Burns. Join us for an entertaining evening of preview viewing, light refreshments followed by a brief discussion – all at the Minute Man Visitor Center on Route 2A in Lexington, MA. For more information, contact Carrie Midura at 978.318.7822 or carrie@friendsofminuteman.org.

All screening dates are free and open to the public:

Thursday, August 20th, 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 27th, 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 10th, 6:00 p.m.

Nearly a decade in the making, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is a visual feast, featuring some of the most extensive, breathtaking images of the national parks system every captured on film. It contains the most contemporary footage of any Ken Burns film since Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, shot principally by chief cinematographer Buddy Squires (who has filmed all of Burns’s documentaries), long-time Florentine cameraman Allen Moore, Lincoln Else (who also is a former ranger at Yosemite) and Burns himself.

This approximately one hour preview event will showcase the many talents of filmmaker Ken Burns, provide exclusive clips of the finished film, and leave viewers excited for the documentary premier on PBS stations in September!

Photograph at top: Ken Burns (right) filming in Grand Canyon National Park. Photo by Craig Mellish. Photograph at bottom: Lincoln Else at Merced River, Yosemite National Park. Photo by Craig Mellish.

Girls, boys, grandparents, mums and dads all had a role to play in the American Revolution. Come participate in a play to learn how spinning yarn, tending a garden and feeding the chickens all helped to defend liberty.  For a costume, make your very own hat.  Just like the Revolution; there is a role for everyone to play.

Fridays & Saturdays  at  11:00 a.m.
6 Programs remaining this month !

August 14 & 15, August 21 & 22, and August 28 & 29

Whittemore House, Lexington. Meet at Minute Man Visitor Center and walk the short distance to Whittemore with a Park Ranger.

For more information see www.nps.gov/mima or call 978-369-6993.