American Independence Festival

American Independence Festival

American Independence Festival July 10, 17 & 24
Tickets available at the door or online.
Adults: $5
Children 4-18: $3
Members: Free
Active Military and Veterans: Free
Festival 3-Day Pass Adult: $10
Festival 3-Day Pass Child: $6

Join us for the final Saturday of our modified Independence Festival.

Today’s Festival Highlights:

Artisans:

  • Steve Zoldak- Potter
  • Larry Leonard- Tinsmith
  • Chuck Walker- Horner
  • Ron Raiselis- Cooper
  • Tara Raiselis- Millinery

Reenactor Groups:

  • Acton Minutemen
  • Captain Dearborn’s Company
  • Danvers Alarm List Company

Other Festival Highlights:

  • John Taylor Gilman Declaration Reading Reenactment at 2 pm

Ongoing programs:

  • Folsom Tavern tours
  • Hands-on family activities
  • Beer garden (12-4 p.m.)

Evening Event: Family Camp Out with the Acton Minutemen

Family Camp Out July 24-25. Image of campfire with marshmellows roasting.
American Independence Festival

American Independence Festival

American Independence Festival July 10, 17 & 24
Tickets available at the door or online.

Adults: $5
Children 4-18: $3
Member Adults: Free
Member Children: Free
Active Military and Veterans: Free
Festival 3-Day Pass Adult: $10
Festival 3-Day Pass Child: $6

Join us for the second Saturday of our modified Independence Festival.

Today’s Festival Highlights:

Artisans:

  • Laurel Jamieson- Spinning and Weaving
  • Adam Hodges-LeClaire- Tailoring
  • Walter Hanson- Ranger in Colonial Times
  • R.P. Hale- Dulcimer
  • Denise and Paul Pouliot- Abenaki Culture

Reenactor Groups:

  • The 4th (King’s Own) Regiment of the Foot
  • 85th Régiment de Saintonge

Other Festival Highlights:

  • Welcome and Land Acknowledgment at 10:15 am
  • John Taylor Gilman Declaration Reading Reenactment at 2 pm
  • From Sheep to Socks in Colonial America hands at 11 & 2:30

Ongoing programs:

  • Folsom Tavern tours
  • Hands-on family activities
  • Beer garden (12-4 p.m.)

Evening Event: Historic Enemies and Rivals: European Armies in North America

Enjoy living history as two reenactor units of the British and French army perform military drills and engage in some friendly rivalry. This evening program is free of charge.

Men in British military uniforms from the 18th century stand in the Folsom Tavern doorway, ready to storm the building.
American Independence Festival

American Independence Festival

American Independence Festival July 10, 17 & 24
Tickets available at the door or online.
Adults: $5
Children 4-18: $3
Member Adults: Free
Member Children: Free
Actively Military and Veterans: Free
Festival 3-Day Pass Adult: $10
Festival 3-Day Pass Child: $6

Join us for the first Saturday of our modified Independence Festival.

Today’s Festival Highlights:

Artisans:

  • Linda Oakley- Needlework
  • Peter Oakley- Shoemaker
  • Peter Cook- Flax to Linen
  • Bill Wasson- Ropemaking

Reenactor Groups:

  • First Regiment of New Hampshire- special presentations at 11:30 a.m. & 2:45 p.m.
  • Ladies Association of Revolutionary America- special presentations at 11 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Other Festival Highlights:

  • Meet “Black Jack” Staines- special presentations at 10:45 a.m., 12 p.m., 1:15 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.
  • John Taylor Gilman Declaration Reading Reenactment- 2 p.m.

Ongoing programs:

  • Folsom Tavern tours
  • Hands-on family activities
  • Beer garden (12-6 p.m.)

Evening Event: Theo Martey and the Akwaaba Ensemble

This free event is made possible through the sponsorship of Riverwoods Exeter.

Concerts on the Lawn: Jordan TW Trio

Concerts on the Lawn: Jordan TW Trio

The Fiddling Thomsons
Saturday, October 17, 3pm to 5pm

$15 – Adults
$10 – Members/Seniors/Veterans & Active or Retired Military
$7 – Children ages 6-18
$5 – Member Children ages 6-18

Join us on the lawn of Folsom Tavern for our socially distanced* concert series this October. As part of our re-imagined American Independence Festival, this concert series invites guests to enjoy the talents of excellent local musicians who are not only wonderful performers, but also stewards of musical culture, history, and traditional folkways.
 
The final concert in the series will be the Jordan TW Trio. Putting a fresh spin on traditional Irish music, the Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Trio delivers and dynamic show full of foot-stompin’ fiddle tunes and classic sing-alongs. Fiddler Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki is joined by fellow New Hampshire natives Matt Jensen on guitar and Chris Noyes on upright bass. Their shows blend traditional Celtic music with their own original material, drawing on multiple genres to produce a unique sound. The Trio has appeared live on NHPR’s “The Folk Show,” been featured on “NH Chronicle” and performed regularly at some of NH’s best venues, as well as listening rooms, pubs and Celtic festivals around New England.
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The Concerts on the Lawn music series is presented through a grant from New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, sponsorship from Newburyport Bank, and in partnership with the Exeter Area YMCA.
 
Advanced registration is required for this event. Rain date, Sunday, October 18.
 
*For the safety of guests, performers, and museum staff/volunteers, COVID procedures and protocols are strictly enforced and clearly stated on the event registration page.
Concerts on the Lawn: Theo Martey & The Akwaaba Ensemble

Concerts on the Lawn: Theo Martey & The Akwaaba Ensemble

The Fiddling Thomsons

Saturday, October 10, 3pm to 5pm

$15 – Adults
$10 – Members/Seniors/Veterans & Active or Retired Military
$7 – Children ages 6-18
$5 – Member Children ages 6-18

Join us on the lawn of Folsom Tavern for our socially distanced* concert series this October. As part of our re-imagined American Independence Festival, this concert series invites guests to enjoy the talents of excellent local musicians who are not only wonderful performers, but also stewards of musical culture, history, and traditional folkways.
 
Second in our series is master percussionist, dancer, and teacher, Theophilus Nii Martey. Originally from Ghana, West Africa and now living in Manchester, NH, Theo is a master of West African drumming and dance, a heritage that has many subtle variations in rhythmic patterns, dance styles, and costumes all specific to a wide diversity of tribal groups from the region. Theo started his drumming and dancing studies in Bukom Accra, Ghana at the age of 6, working under the wing of master drummers and dancers. As a young man, he journeyed to London, England and Australia where he studied with other master artists. Since moving to Manchester, he has founded the Akwaaba Drum and Dance Ensemble. The Akwaaba Ensemble’s energetic and engaging performances are a reflection of their name, which means ‘welcome’ in the Twi language of Ghana. They bring West African drumming and dance to vivid life, holding sway with the rich and subtle rhythmic patterns and styles specific to different tribal groups of West Africa.
 
The Concerts on the Lawn music series is presented through a grant from New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, sponsorship from Newburyport Bank, and in partnership with the Exeter Area YMCA.
 
Advanced registration is required for this event. Rain date, Sunday, October 11.
 
*For the safety of guests, performers, and museum staff/volunteers, COVID procedures and protocols are strictly enforced and clearly stated on the event registration page.
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