April break will always be viewed as the last real vacation before summer, the time to take a final breath before plunging headlong into the final weeks of pain and sweat from schoolwork, or the time to begin scrounging together all the notes from the past half of the school year in preparation for finals. Yet it is more than a vacation, more than a time for relaxation and shopping. In fact, it might well be one of the most significant breaks for our country because of one important event.

The Saturday right at the beginning of break, I woke when the sky was as dark as could be and headed out the door, wrapped in a jacket. It was brisk, but comfortably so for 4 in the morning. As I headed off for the center of town, I could hear an energetic banging in the distance. Drums? Or muskets? As I walked down Old Sudbury Road, I soon caught up with these disruptors of the peace: The Sudbury Militia. Carrying drums, fifes, and muskets, this band of around 10 was followed by a small trail of children and adults. The mini-militia of youngsters would run close behind their older counterparts, then fall back to their parents, then hurry ahead to catch up again.

What exactly was going on? Patriot’s Day was on Monday, so why in the world were these re-enactors disrupting everyone’s sleep with all this commotion at an unnatural hour on a Saturday morning?

Patriot’s Day is meant to celebrate the battles at Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolution. In brief, the British were heading toward Lexington to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock and toward Concord to destroy the arms stockpile there. In Lexington, they encountered around 70 militiamen, whom they easily defeated. They then continued into Concord, and, at the Old North Bridge, they met 300 to 400 militiamen, who then proceeded to drive the British back to Boston.

Although we celebrated this beginning of our nation’s fight for independence on the 21st, the actual date of these events is April 19th. Sudbury residents are so intent on precisely re-enacting the colonists’ march to Concord, though, that they’ve always reenacted the event on exactly the same day at exactly the same time: 3:45 am. Each year, the Sudbury Companies of Militia and Minute gather at the First Parish Church in the center of Wayland, which used to be a part of Sudbury, and they march over to the Grout-Heard House, North Cemetery, the Olde East Company Training Field, and Old Sudbury Center. Finally, they arrive at the Old North Bridge in Concord at around 10:30. This route follows approximately the same one taken by the Sudbury militia in their march to Concord to fight the British two centuries ago. That first band of 35 Sudbury residents can now be found in North Cemetery.

Upon seeing this cheery band of nightwalkers costumed in colonial-wear, I ran to join the small crowd, enjoying the spirited tunes and relative emptiness of the dark, despite the occasional blaring lights of the police car that guarded us from behind. It took us about fifteen minutes to reach North Cemetery. By then, only the photographers were left, the families probably having tired of walking for so long. Members of the militia made short speeches, speaking of their relatives who lay buried up on the hill. Then three men with muskets stepped out and faced the cemetery, and, on the mark of a leader, shot their guns several times in respect for the 35 soldiers. They then re-formed their line and continued their way down the path.

Despite the small gathering, I found this event to be more thrilling than the nationally renowned re-enactment in Lexington set for 5 AM (which actually began an hour late).

Let me first say that if you ever want to see this later event, either come early (4:30 will get you a fairly good spot) or bring along a ladder because you’ll be watching from the back of a pretty big crowd. I arrived in Lexington at around 4, and already the town was brimming with quiet excitement. A crowd had formed around the green, though I could only barely make out their black figures against the night sky. A large U.S. flag hung nearby, illuminated by lights that beamed up from the turf. On the Green, men and women dressed in colonial attire were wandering about. One man was reciting our American history to some eager listeners, recounting events and dates involving the Revolution. He went on for about two hours. While waiting, I was astonished to find that some visitors had come as early as 2 AM and that, indeed, this was a large event. It had never occurred to me that this re-enactment was so important, but I soon found that the Green was surrounded by a massive crowd, speckled with children on ladders. In the bitter cold, we all stood until, finally, a voice emerged from the speakers  placed around the Green.

A man introduced the group of re-enactors and set the historic background. A shot was suddenly heard, and a good number of militiamen gathered, many from outside the Green. Colonial bystanders were spread around the Green to look on as the men shouted their names. Soon, the British soldiers came in their bright, red coats, led by a stout man in a grand cape, and we thought the colonists would surely be defeated against such a large number. Then, to our astonishment, even more number of Redcoats came, along with some drummers, aligning themselves behind the previous group in an orderly manner. They marched forward, and soon the two forces were engaged in battle. Piercing shots rang everywhere, and smoke filled the center of the Green. It didn’t take long for the British to defeat the Minutemen, and, as the smoke rose, we could see the scattered dead and wounded. The British regrouped and “Huzzah!”ed, fired off their muskets, again in orderly fashion, and then marched from the Green in neat columns.

Although it was probably more exciting than the march to Concord, what with the impressive costumes, large number of re-enactors, musket firings, and incredible precision on the part of the British, there was something I liked about following the Sudbury Militia. I suppose the atmosphere was the main factor. There wasn’t an enormous mass of modern-day civilians watching, so it was easier to imagine what the march must have been like, and the music along the way certainly set the mood. It is certainly a unique and personal experience since it requires an early attendance and involves our town.

So perhaps next April vacation you’ll spend some time celebrating our country’s independence. There are still plenty of events in later hours if you’re not exactly an early bird (or a nocturnal). They are conveniently located, so take advantage of it! But whether you watch a re-enactment or stay at home chilling, at least you’ll be memorializing the common theme of the school year’s final break: Freedom.