Special Edition: Independence Day 2024
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Special Edition: Independence Day 2024
The following Independence Day celebration events await Hamdenites in the days ahead. Plus, a wealth of extraordinary opportunities for historical exploration of the American Revolution right here at our doorstep.
Friday June 28
Hamden’s Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks Display returns this summer. The event will include a performance by the Hamden Symphony Orchestra, a live DJ, plenty of food trucks, and fireworks by Pyrotecnico.
The HSO concert begins at 7:30pm at Town Center Park; live DJ and food trucks beginning at 6pm.
Fireworks begin at 9:20pm. (Rain date will be Saturday June 29.) Link for more details.
Thursday July 4
Fireworks @ East Rock Park. ~9pm. The park is split, with half in Hamden and half in New Haven. The fireworks are launched from the summit, and can be viewed from all sides of the park. Link for more details.
Friday July 5
To mark Independence Day 2024, Yale’s Beinecke Library continues its tradition of public readings of the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776, and of the oration by Frederick Douglass given on July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, in which he asked: “What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?” The event will take place on July 5 at 4pm on the library mezzanine.
These readings accompany an exhibition, on view from June 20 to July 15, of the first editions of both works, and some other key documents about the nation, providing an opportunity to consider how their powerful words were put on paper to be shared across and beyond the United States. The Beinecke exhibition hall is free and open to all seven days a week (closed on July 4). Visit the library’s website for details on daily hours. Link for more details.
More Opportunities:
John Trumbull’s “The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776,” a jewel of American art held by the Yale University Art Gallery. The gallery, which is always free, also includes numerous other important pieces related to the American Revolution. 10am-5pm. Closed on Mondays and on the July 4th holiday, but open every day before and after. Links for more details: here and here.
YUAG offers guided tours with a “Revolutionary” and/or “Independence” theme. Youth groups (with adult or family chaperones accompanying them) can schedule private tours and request specific themes. Tours are led by a team of YUAG docents. Link for more details.
Hamden’s contributions to the American Revolution are detailed in the book Hamden: Tales from the Sleeping Giant. Hamdenites joined with neighboring New Haveners and played important roles in the fight for independence.
The New Haven Museum offers a “Revolutionary New Haven” themed tour aimed at 3rd-8th graders, but certainly appealing to families of mixed ages, as well. Participants explore what was going on in New Haven (and Hamden) during the American Revolution, investigate artifacts from a soldier’s haversack, and learn about the Revolution through the words of New Haven (and Hamden) residents who experienced it.
New Haven City Hall includes the following painting on public display, commemorating “Powder House Day,” when Benedict Arnold organized and led New Haven area soldiers from CT to MA and joined the revolution shortly after the historic events at Lexington and Concord in the spring of 1775. Links for more details: here and here and here.
The Beers Tavern in the painting above, is now the site of “Ordinary” (pictured below modern day) — an amazing bar with Revolutionary War history. The walls at the back of this remarkably cool establishment share centuries of historic stories and photos, including its part in America’s fight for independence. Click here for more details, but to fully appreciate it, a visit to the historic bar is best.
Yale’s campus includes an outdoor public art statue of Revolutionary War hero - and spy - Nathan Hale. Links for more details.
ICYMI:
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*Please confirm event details before attending any events listed in this newsletter. Some events require registration prior to attending. Some programs have limited enrollment.
*Community event suggestions: thisweekinhamden@gmail.com