Cambridge Joins 250th Celebrations of Lexington and Concord on Patriots’ Day

The City of Cambridge celebrated Patriots’ Day with a reenactment of William Dawes’s 1775 horseback ride on its 250th anniversary, celebrating the nation’s founding while reflecting on current turmoil in Washington.

“It marks the beginning of a season of reflection, a reflection on who we are as a people and what it takes to preserve what I call the American experiment,” Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons said during the event.

“When fundamental rights are under attack and the tone from Washington grows more and more authoritarian everyday, these commemorations — which are about freedom and democracy and every citizen having a voice — these commemorations take on renewed urgency,” Simmons added.

The city’s annual observance of the holiday is a cherished tradition, with attendees ranging in age from eight to 80 years old.

The event brought more than 100 attendees to the Cambridge Common to learn about Dawes’s horseback ride. He traveled through Cambridge on his trip from Boston to Lexington to alert the colonists to the British threat of 1775.

Cynthia Shelton Harris, the director of Veteran Services for Cambridge, began the day by recognizing veterans in the crowd and celebrating the more than 2,000 veterans who live in Cambridge.

Former U.S. Army captain Dale Kurtz delivered a keynote address on the history of Dawes’s ride. Kurtz spoke about Cambridge’s critical role in the fight against the British during the Revolutionary War, with a special feature reenactment of Dawes’s march into town.

“We have the national answers. We are the ceremonial cavalry troop of Massachusetts. We’re part of the state militia that comes under the National Guard,” he said, noting that the reenactment has been a tradition in the city since 1910.

“What a great history you have here in Cambridge,” Kurtz added.

Simmons charged the crowd with upholding the values of freedom and liberty beyond the holiday.

“This is not just a celebration of the past, it’s a reminder of the freedoms that we enjoy today were hard won, and that the burden of safeguarding those freedoms is on us each Patriots’ Day,” Simmons said.

Simmons’ comments come as Washington increases pressure on Harvard, with the Trump administration pausing more than $2.2 billion in the University’s funding — and threatening to cut another $1 billion. The city pushed Harvard to rebuke Trump’s demands, applauding Harvard’s defensive approach that culminated in their Monday decision to file a lawsuit against the administration.

As Harvard continues to fight, Cambridge redoubled its efforts to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Dawes’ ride and all that it represents.

“I think it’s pretty important that the city stand with the Department of Veterans Services to honor this kind of service,” Councilor Patricia M. “Patty” Nolan ’80 said in an interview after the event.

“We all completely support the folks who step up to serve,” she added.

— Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.