History will come alive with the 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, which opened the Revolutionary War, and filmmaker Ken Burns was in town to help get the celebrations underway, as he shows his new documentary about the Revolution.
Organizers of this weekend's Lex250 events held a press conference Thursday morning to kick off the big event.
"Starting today, Lexington will begin its portion of events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington -- the very place where the American Revolution began," said Suzie Barry, chair of the Lex250 Commission.
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are.
WATCH HERELexington Town Administrator Steve Bartha called it "a historic and deeply meaningful weekend for our town."
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll also spoke, thanking the citizens of Lexington for all of their hard work.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox with our News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP "When you live in a community that other people read about in their history books, it comes with a responsibility," she said. "You are stewards of this history, and you have served us well."
Famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns was also in attendance, and he previewed a 6-part, 12-hour history of the American Revolution that is set to air in November on PBS.
"This is a hugely important day," he said. "As a young boy I grew up dreaming of this mythical place called Lexington."
"What happened here on April 19, 1775 changed the entire world," Burns added. "It was the birth of a new form of government. Before that, we were subjects. After this moment, we were citizens."
"As we begin to celebrate the 250th anniversary of starting a revolution, it's an opportunity to reinvigorate what we are about. To say, let us put in these celebrations the 'us' back into the United States. Let us just think of the word commonwealth -- what we share together, what we do together. This is an opportunity to spread our message -- no kings, no monarchs, no tyrants. It's the responsibilities of citizenship that permit us to benefit from the blessings of liberty and the sacrifices the people behind us made... I'm just so grateful to be caught up in your whirlwind today."
The town of Lexington is planning a massive celebration on Saturday to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the first battle of the American Revolution, including reenactments, parades and concerts.
The battle will then begin at 5:15 a.m. Following the reenactment, there will be a 5-mile race. At 11 a.m., the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team will skydive onto the Battle Green in celebration of the army's anniversary.
Later, the town will gather for the Patriots' Day Parade at 2 p.m. along Massachusetts Avenue. That evening, Cary Hall will host a free concert featuring Revolution-era music.
The celebration will continue throughout the weekend, culminating in a picnic at Hastings Park on April 21.
Public safety officials said they have not heard of any high-level federal elected officials planning to attend and no permits have been pulled for any protests on Saturday. But they said they are taking the needed steps to make sure everything goes off smoothly.
