We arrived in Boston’s North End on Friday night, where a re-enactment of Paul Revere’s midnight ride kicked off celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War.
The several hundred people gathered in the North End were delighted by the scene. They were eager to be part of the performance and proud of what it represented.
Ava Moore, 19, watched with her friend, Molly Bowke, 20. “I’m the child of Mexican immigrants, and I don’t always feel connected to American history,” she said, “but the fact that they were willing to stand up to tyranny is very cool.”
Sophie Park for The New York Times
Just before 8 p.m., Michael Lepage, playing the role of Revere, emerged from a clapboard house to shouts of “We love you, Paul!” and “You got this, Paul!”
Hundreds of people followed Mr. Lepage down Hanover Street. “Oh my God, he’s right there,” a woman gasped.
Arriving at the waterfront, Mr. Lepage climbed into a boat to cross the river to Charlestown, where his horse waited.
“What I love is that Revere was just a regular guy,” Joe Hession, 34, said. “You could be a tradesman from the North End, and 250 years later, people are still talking about what you did.”
