ARMED AND READY: Re-enactments of the First and Second Battles of Trenton are among the most popular draws of Patriots Week, the annual celebration of the capital city’s role in the Revolutionary War. More than 50 events will be held from December 26-31.

By Anne Levin

With a new mobile website to help history enthusiasts navigate the long list of walking tours, battle re-enactments, lectures, concerts, puppet shows, a pub crawl, and a Colonial ball, the Trenton Downtown Association (TDA) is ready to launch this year’s Patriots Week, taking place at various venues in and around the capital city December 26-31.

“People come from all over for this,” said Tom Gilmour, executive director of the TDA, which plans the commemoration. “The history geeks who follow the battle re-enactments are always a great crowd. And we have a solid audience, of people from as far as Connecticut and Virginia, for the many educational programs.”

Along with one-time events, the week includes recurring activities such as planetarium shows (a demonstration of the sky set to December 25, 1776), musket demonstrations, and tours of the New Jersey State House, the Trent House, and the Old Barracks. Most are free.

On December 26 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ralph Siegel of Trenton Battlefield Tours leads a 10-block interpretive walk highlighting the two battles of Trenton that were crucial to the war. Guests can gather at Starbucks, 102 South Warren Street, starting at 9 a.m. for a pre-tour question-and-answer session. Other events that day include a talk with author William “Larry” Kidder about his book Ten Crucial Days, talks on “The British Army in North America 1768-1783” and “King George and the March of Folly,” a concert by the Practitioners of Musick, and a talk titled “Rediscovering British Surveyor and Mapmaker John Hills.”

The annual Revolutionary Pub Crawl, starting at 6 p.m. on December 26 at Checkers, 14 South Warren Street, takes revelers in period costume to various Trenton watering holes and restaurants. Colonial attire is encouraged.

December 27 brings a public artwork tour, a presentation at Riverview Cemetery about early efforts by the Daughters of the American Revolution to save the Old Barracks, a walking tour from Mill Hill Park to Petty’s Run led by archaeologist Richard Hunter, a talk titled “Elias Boudinot IV: The Continental Army’s First Commissary General of Prisoners” led by Joseph E. Wroblewski, and “Patriots Scrabble” at Classics Bookstore, among other events.

The day concludes with the Colonial Ball, starting at 6 p.m. at the Masonic Temple, 100 Barrack Street. Dance steps will be taught by Sue Dupre, accompanied by period music performed by John Burkhalter and Ridley and Anne Enslow. Refreshments are served. This is one of the few events requiring advance tickets, and $20-$25 to get in.

The ever-popular battle re-enactments are the focus on December 28, starting with the First Battle of Trenton at 11 a.m. at the Old Barracks, and the Second Battle of Trenton at 3 p.m. in Mill Hill Park. The soldiers in period gear, the horses stomping their hooves as they cross the Assunpink Creek, and the loud bursts of fire bring the events of January 2, 1777 vividly to life. The second re-enactment is followed by a fire walk along the creek. “We did the fire walk piecemeal last year, but this year’s is planned out very well,” said Gilmour.

The day also includes a puppet show titled “The Trouble with Trenton” at First Presbyterian Church, 120 East State Street; a “Hogmanay” Scottish New Year celebration at the Trent House; and “Trenton in 1775,” a historic tour led by historian Sharon Ann Holt starting at St. Michael’s Church, 140 North Warren Street.

A “tabletop talk” at Ellarslie museum in Cadwalader Park on December 29 at 2 p.m. is titled “Alexander Hamilton and the 24 Cannons at the Battle of Trenton.” It follows the movements of all 24 cannons on the streets of the city during the Battle of Trenton. On December 30 at 5:30 p.m., a lecture, “Out with the Old, In with the New: New Sweden and the American Revolution,” is at Trenton Free Public Library, 120 Academy Street. A peace vigil at Historic Trenton Friends Meeting House, 142 East Hanover Street; and the Capital Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s Eve concert at Patriots Theatre at the War Memorial are highlights on the festival’s final day.

Numerous other events are being offered throughout the week.

“Patriots Week is definitely growing every year,” said Gilmour. “It has become a very popular regional event and we’re looking forward to another great crowd, especially with our brand new website.”

For a full list of events and other information, visit PatriotsWeek.com.