Patriots' Day
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Patriots' Day (sometimes spelled Patriot's Day or Patriots Day) is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. It is observed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts[1] and state of Maine[2] (once part of Massachusetts), and a public school observance day in Wisconsin[3]. Observances and re-enactments of these first battles of the American Revolution occur annually at Lexington Green in Lexington, Massachusetts, (around 6am) and The Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts (around 9am). In the morning, a mounted reenactor with State Police escort retraces Paul Revere's ride, calling out warnings the whole way.
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[edit] Public holiday
Traditionally it was designated as April 19 in observance of the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. Since 1969, however, the holiday has been observed on the third Monday in April, providing a three-day long weekend. It is also a school holiday for many local colleges and universities, both public and private.
[edit] Sporting events
The Boston Marathon is run on this day every year.
The Boston Red Sox have been traditionally scheduled to play at home in Fenway Park on Patriots Day every year since 1959. They were postponed due to bad weather in 1959, 1961, 1965, 1967, and 1984 and did not play in 1995 during the players strike. In recent years the games have started early at 11:00 in the morning, and even 10:00am in 2007, this creates an effect of the game ending just as the marathon is heading through Kenmore Square.
[edit] Tax Day implications
Occasionally Tax Day falls on this day or the preceding weekend, causing the tax deadline to be extended by a day for the residents of Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. This is because the IRS processing center for these areas is located in Andover, Massachusetts[4]. In 2007, this extension was granted to the entire country because the District of Columbia holiday, Emancipation Day, coincidentally fell on the same day.[5] In addition to these extensions, in 2007 due to a nor'easter (which also forced the first-ever cancellation of the annual 6 a.m. battle re-enactment on Lexington Green), certain states were granted an additional two days for taxes, bringing the deadline to April 19. Those who filed under this extension had to write "April 16 Storm" on the return.[6]
[edit] Recent and future dates
- 2008: Monday, April 21
- 2009: Monday, April 20
- 2010: Monday, April 19
- 2011: Monday, April 18
- 2012: Monday, April 16
[edit] See also
- Patriot Day (September 11, a similar name but unrelated event)
- Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)
- Bunker Hill Day#Commemorations
- Massacre Day
- Holidays of the United States
- Carolina Day
[edit] External links
- Patriot's Day information, via noblenet.org
- Information about Battle Reenactments, via battleroad.org
- Full Schedule of Concord Patriots Day Events and Video, via theconcordlife.com
[edit] References
- ^ "Massachusetts Legal Holidays". Citizen Information Service. Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
- ^ "Holidays". Human Resources Policy and Practices Manual. Maine Bureau of Human Resources. Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
- ^ "Wisconsin Public School Observance Days". Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
- ^ "Patriot's Day 2007 Gives Some Taxpayers Extra Tax Time, IR-2006-170". Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury (2006-11-08). Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
- ^ "Taxpayers Have Until April 17 to File and Pay, IR-2007-15". Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury (2007-01-04). Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
- ^ "IRS Gives April 16 Storm Victims Additional 48 Hours to File Income Tax Returns". Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury (2007-04-16). Retrieved on 2007-04-16.
