Patriots Day activities planned in New Milford

NEW MILFORD, Conn. — Community members are invited to a special Patriots Day event Saturday, April 19.

The event, coordinated by the New Milford Celebrates America 250 Committee, will commemorate the beginning of the American Revolutionary War and the anniversary of Roger Sherman’s birth.

Festivities will begin at 9 a.m. at Roger Sherman Town Hall at 10 Main St.

Attendees will commemorate the Shot Heard ‘Round the World, which was the opening shot of the battles of Lexington and Concord that sparked the American Revolutionary War.

Attendees will be handed bells that will be run along with church bells at 9 a.m.

The ceremony will include readings of "Paul Revere's Ride" and the “Concord Hymn," a sing-a-long, the arrival of a horseman, the reading of a proclamation about the special occasion, and a flag raising.

After, the dedication of a Liberty Tree will be held on the Village Green.

Cake will be served to celebrate Sherman’s birthday April 19, 1721, near the tree.

Sherman, for whom the town’s town hall is named, lived in New Milford and with his brother owned the town’s first store.

He was an American politician, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign all four state papers of the United States – the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.

The Patriots Day event is one of many events the committee is organizing as part of a multi-year celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

Past events include a Boston Tea Party reenactment in December 2023; a presentation of Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as a man and served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War through History at Play; and a “Spirits of New Milford” walk-through graveyard featuring stories of the town’s Revolutionary ancestors.

In addition, committee members and volunteers have presented an interactive Culper Spy Ring activity at Sarah Noble Intermediate School. The spy ring operated during the Revolutionary War to gather information on British troop movements to assist General George Washington in military plans.

The committee is collaborating with the New Milford Historical Society & Museum, the First Congregational Church of New Milford, and St. Peter’s Masonic Lodge to present a two-day “Airing of the Quilts” event May 2-3.