BIGGER, BETTER, AND BROADER: The annual Patriots Week celebration in Trenton includes “the usual suspects” — battle reenactments and musket firing demonstrations, pub tours, and a Colonial ball — as well as more activities geared to all ages and varied interests.

By Anne Levin

With the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence just a year away, planners of this year’s Patriots Week are hoping that the lineup of interactive events — all related to Trenton’s role in shaping the nation — will generate more than the usual level of excitement.

Enthusiasm has been building, in fact, since last year’s Patriots Week, the first since coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual series of activities is designed to give visitors and residents a chance to not just hear about, but relive pivotal moments of the American Revolution.

“Last year, we were learning how to do it again after COVID,” said Mike Keeler, communications officer for the nonprofit Crossroads of the American Revolution, and for the public entity Revolution NJ. “It’s back, and perhaps bigger than before. The Old Barracks and the Trenton Downtown Association and other partners have really gotten out in front of this, leaned into it, and made it very exciting.”

Patriots Week is officially billed as beginning on December 26. But the celebration gets off to a start on Christmas Day with the annual reenactment of Washington Crossing the Delaware at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania. On December 26, veteran tour guide Ralph Siegel leads a discussion before taking visitors on a 10-block walking tour that will bring the two battles of Trenton to life.

More events that day include tours of the New Jersey State House, a musket-firing demonstration at the Old Barracks Museum, a show at the New Jersey State Museum Planetarium exploring the night sky as George Washington and his troops would have seen it in 1776, a “Hidden History” tour of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, a children’s workshop on making a quill pen and writing like John Hancock, and a talk by historian and author Larry Kidder titled “Jacob Francis: A Free Black Man’s Experiences in the American Revolution.” Then there is the Revolutionary Pub Crawl, and a program at the Trenton Free Library, “Songs and Stories of the Revolution.”

As the week continues, look for a tour of the Petty’s Run dig, led by archeologist Richard Hunter of Hunter Research; a Revolutionary Tea presented by tea specialists Deborah and Michael Raab, Patriots’ Scrabble for all skill levels at Classics Books, the annual Colonial Ball at the Masonic Temple, a puppet show, a tour of the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, and much more.

The Hogmanay Scottish Celebration of the New Year event at the 1719 William Trent House on Saturday, December 28 starts off with bagpipers, followed by the opportunity for visitors to learn an authentic Colonial recipe for shortbread while enjoying hot cider and other treats.

“You have the usual suspects — the reenactments, the Colonial Ball, the puppet show,” said Keeler. “But there is a lot more to experience this year. The libraries, the State House, pretty much everybody who could pitch in is pitching in.”

Mark Turdo, the assistant director of interpretation and curation at the Old Barracks Museum, agreed.

“We definitely want to get these crucial battles out in front of people in an engaging way,” he said. “People can actually interact with the reenactors, and ask questions. But it’s more than that. We’re interested in getting more folks out, and being more welcoming. The City of Trenton is making great efforts to do just that.”

Most of the Patriots Week events are free. Families are especially encouraged to take part.

“We hope to get the folks who love history and come out every year,” said Keeler. “But what we really hope is that more families discover us, especially people from across the [Delaware] river in Pennsylvania. It’s great for kids.”

For a full schedule of Patriots Week events, visit patriotsweek.com.