(TRENTON, NJ) -- With the continuing spikes in COVID-19, as well as uncompromising restrictions, Trenton Downtown Association has announced that the traditional events associated with Patriots Week, including the reenactment of the Battle of Trenton, are postponed until 2021.
Patriots Week, which celebrates Trenton’s consequential role in the Revolutionary War with more than 70 events, will return in 2021.
“Patriots Week attracts thousands of history buffs and tourists from across the region and beyond to Trenton. It’s a wonderful, unifying, family-friendly celebration packed with all kinds of activities, from a Colonial Ball to a pub crawl, a musket demonstration to a puppet show,” says Tom Gilmour, executive director of Trenton Downtown Association (TDA), the nonprofit that promotes and coordinates Patriots Week each year.
“No matter how many times we tried to re-create the 70-plus events that normally take place during Patriots Week, the major event of the week, the reenactment, cannot be safely performed in today’s environment,” explains Gilmour.
“We are happy to announce that the time and unused funds from not operating the event in 2020 will be redeployed in planning for enhancing Patriots Week 2021. The vision of those planning efforts is to reposition the City of Trenton as a ‘must see’ destination during the United States’ semiquincentennial celebration of the war in 2025,” adds Gilmour.
Gilmour also noted that TDA will be posting information about any events still happening at www.patriotsweek.com. Here are just a few of the virtual events our partners have scheduled:
The Trouble with Trenton Virtual Puppet Show - Saturday, December 26 from noon to 1:00pm. Children will be able to experience the magical storytelling of Washington’s crucial victory at the Battle of Trenton, presented by Tuckers’ Tales Puppet Theatre.
The Real Story of the Battle of Trenton - Saturday, December 26 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. Tune in as Asher Lurie, Chief of Historical Interpretation, details the history of the Battle of Trenton as it really happened on the day of the First Battle of Trenton.
Blacks at the Battle of Trenton - Saturday, December 26 from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. Explore the roles of African Americans in the operation of The Old Barracks as a home for soldiers and a military hospital.
Celebrating Hogmanay with Scottish Music - Saturday, December 26 at 1:00pm. The Trent House Association presents The Practitioners of Musick in a performance honoring the Scottish heritage of William Trent and featuring music that George Washington and his family enjoyed.
The NJ State Library Presents a Virtual Author Talk: “John Haslet, A Colonel in Washington’s Army” - Tuesday, December 29 at noon. Hear author and historian David Price relay the inspirational story of Revolutionary War hero John Haslet and his regiment.
