Amid Manhunt Mayhem, Oath Keepers Assemble by Lexington's Battle Green

The polarizing group held an oath renewal ceremony Friday, April 19 in Lexington, despite town officials' suspension of a related permit over concerns associated with Monday's Boston Marathon bombing.

As swarms of law enforcement and military agencies scoured surrounding communitites in search of a suspect in Monday's Boston Marathon bombing, a considerable local police presence took up around Lexington's Battle Green. They weren't here because of some hot tip that the surviving suspect -- widely identified as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge -- could be headed this way, but rather because the Oath Keepers planned to assemble here despite town officials' attempts to place a moratorium on such gatherings. The group gathered and grew after 11 a.m. on Friday -- the 238th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, which began here the morning of April 19, 1775 -- and intereacted cordially with local law enforcement. "We're …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (8)
• Videos (1)

Patch Facts

5 Things: Fifty Shades of ... Color

A quick look at what you need to see, do and know on April 9 in Lexington.

1. Fifty Shades of Color: The Decorative Arts Guild Annual Show, Fifty Shades of Color, is open from 12 to 4 p.m. today at the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society. The exhibit features inspirational decorative art for the home, arranged in vignettes to demonstrate how color and decorative accents are an integral part of all home décor. 2. Today in Public Meetings: According to the town website, public meetings posted for today include the Tourism Committee at 11:30 a.m. at the Town Office Building, the Fund for Lexington Board at 4:30 p.m. at the Town Office Building, the Communications Advisory Committee at 6:30 p.m. at the Town Office Building, the Human Services Committee at 7:30 p.m. at Cary Hall and the Conservation Commission at 7:30 p…

• Photos (1)

PHOTOS: Vine Brook Tavern: Not Colonial Fare

Channeling Tavern on the Green rather than Tavern Near the Green.

  Buckman and Munroe are Lexington’s most treasured and historic taverns. After last Wednesday there is a third: The Vine Brook Tavern on Waltham Street.  Vine Brook isn’t your great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather’s tavern. Buckman’s colonial guests dined on freshly-shot game made into a stew of the day, washed down with grog. Vine Brook owners Marcus Palmer and Brian Lesser, along with Chef Chris Frothingham, offer modern and more appetizing fare for  21st century visitors. During last Wednesday night’s grand opening guests noshed on morsels from the tavern’s extensive menu. Servers carrying white rectangular porcelain trays, heavy with Frothingham’s specialties, weaved through the milling crowd in the restaurant’s upper room. …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (9)

Historic House Museums Open for the Season This Weekend (PHOTOS)

The Buckman and Munroe taverns, along with the Hancock-Clarke House in Lexington open for guided tours at 10 a.m. this Saturday, March 31.

The following press release was provided by the Lexington Historical Society. Lexington’s three historic house museums—Buckman Tavern, Munroe Tavern, and the Hancock-Clarke House—along with the Buckman Tavern Museum Shop all open for the season for guided tours. At each of the homes, experienced tour guides in 18th century attire will take the visitor through the important events of April 18 and 19, 1775. Buckman Tavern, at 1 Bedford St., will feature a new interpretation based on recent original research that has provided fresh insight into the lives of the slaves, youth, women, and militiamen of Lexington at the outbreak of the Revolution. Museum rooms have been refurnished and stories retold to reflect this new, in depth interpretation…

• Photos (3)