CARMEL, NY – As part of National Poetry Month, Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne will be joined by County Historian Jennifer Cassidy, Community Advocate George Whipple, and others on Saturday, April 19 on the steps of the county’s Historic Courthouse for a special family-friendly event to kick off the county’s celebration of the 250^th anniversary of America’s independence. Participants will read from the 1860 poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as well as a selection from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Concord Hymn.” The date of the event coincides with the 1775 Battle of Lexington and Concord, the first military engagement of the American Revolution, which included the “shot heard round the world” in Emerson’s phrasing. Additional sponsored events can be found on Revolutionary Putnam County’s website: https://putnamcountyny.gov/rev250.

• WHAT:
  Revolutionary Putnam County Kickoff Event with Poetry Recitation
• WHEN:
  Saturday, April 19, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Light refreshments to follow at George’s Place, 36 Gleneida Ave, Carmel Hamlet.
• WHERE:
  Steps of the Putnam County Historic Courthouse,
  40 Gleneida Ave, Carmel Hamlet
• WHO:
  County Executive Kevin Byrne
  County Historian Jennifer Cassidy
  Philanthropist and Community Advocate George Whipple
  Members of local Putnam County historical societies