Tuesday, May 06, 2014
ESSEX >> Burning of the Ships Day, on Saturday promises to be filled with excitement, commemorating the bicentennial of what has been called “the Pearl Harbor of the War of 1812.” The day will be marked with a parade, reenactments and a tavern night where you can hoist your glass. Below is the Essex 1814 Bicentennial Raid on Essex Commemoration schedule for May 10.
Narrated boat tour aboard RiverQuest: 9:30 and 11:30 a.m., boarding at Connecticut River Museum, 67 Main St. $40 per person. Order tickets online at www.ctriverquest.com.
1814 Tea and Pratt House tours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Pratt House, Essex Historical Society, 19 West Avenue. Free. www.essexhistory.org
Essex Historical Society British Raid on Essex exhibit: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Essex Public Library, 33 West Avenue. Free. www.youressexlibrary.org
Gallery tours: of “Star Spangled Nation and British Raid on Essex” exhibits, noon, Connecticut River Museum. Free with museum admission. Exhibits open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. www.ctrivermuseum.org
Military encampments and militia drills: noon, Connecticut River Museum Lay House grounds. Free. www.ctrivermuseum.org
Annual Sailing Masters of 1812 Fife and Drum Parade and Muster: 2 p.m., parade begins at Town Hall and runs down Main Street to the Essex Waterfront and British landing site. Free. www.sailingmasters.org
Bicentennial Commemoration and Reenactment of the British Raid on Essex: 3 p.m., Waterfront, Connecticut River Museum lawn, traffic circle, foot of Main Street. Free.
Tavern Night: 8 to 11 p.m., The Griswold Inn, featuring sea shanties and with The Jovial Crew. www.griswoldinn.com, 860-767-1776
Sailing Masters of 1812 5th Annual Commemoration Ball: 8 to 11 p.m., Essex Town Hall. www.sailingmasters.org, 860-964-0266
For more information, visit Pratt House, which will serve as the visitor information center for the day’s activities. Walking maps also can be downloaded from www.essexhistory.org. Parking is available at Essex Town Hall, Pratt House, and the downtown Essex lot.
1812 News 