Performnaces, film screenings, dining, history tours and concerts are all part of the second annual Patriots’ Week in Trenton.
By: Jillian Kalonick
For the young ones, Punch and Judy will star in an 18th-century puppet show at Gallery 125, 125 S. Warren St., Dec. 26, 2:30 p.m., and Dec. 31, 1 and 1:45 p.m. The duo’s show will offer live music and comedy for the age-5-and-up crowd. Free admission.
Living history interpreter Stacy Roth will explore the popularity of a controversial Colonial beverage in "History of Tea" at the Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard, 1 W. Lafayette St., Dec. 27, 2:30 p.m. Ms. Roth will offer samples as she plays music and reads poetry inspired by tea. Tickets cost $15.
Film buffs will enjoy a double feature of American propaganda films and Abbott and Costello’s The Time of Their Lives at New Jersey State Museum, 205 W. State St., Dec. 27, 7-9 p.m. National Treasure will be screened at the Masonic Temple, West Front Street, Dec. 30, 7 p.m. Present-day Masons, along with Karl Niederer, director of archives and records management at the New Jersey State Archives, will discuss the accuracy of the film following the screening. Free admission.
The Capitol Steps, a troupe of current and former Congressional staffers who take a satirical look at current politics, will perform at the Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard, Dec. 28, 8 p.m. The Steps have recorded more than two dozen live albums, featuring classics such as "He Works Hard for the Country," "I’m So Indicted" and "I Like Big Cuts and I Cannot Lie." Tickets cost $25.
"An Evening with George and Martha," a Colonial dinner theater, will offer a chance to mingle with the first president and his wife at the Marriott, Dec. 29, 6:30 p.m. Artist Charles Willson Peale also will be in attendance, as will the Washingtons’ chef, Hercules, who will give a glimpse into their favorite foods. Tickets cost $33, $23 under age 12, including tax and gratuity (alcoholic beverages are extra).
A two-part bus tour, "Washington’s March: From the Icy Crossing to the Streets of Trenton," and "Skirting the Enemy: The Backroads from Trenton to Princeton" will travel the path of the Revolution Dec. 30, 9 to 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will journey through Washington Crossing State Park and the streets where the first Battle of Trenton was fought, then Mill Hill Park and Princeton Battlefield. Participants should meet at the Marriott. Tickets cost $10 for each tour, and may be purchased separately.
The finale to Patriots’ Week will be Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra’s 14th annual New Year’s Eve concert at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, West Lafayette and Barrack streets, Dec. 31, 8 p.m. New Jersey’s oldest professional symphony orchestra will play big band favorites as well as popular symphonic pieces. Tickets cost $25-$65; call (609) 984-8400.
Patriots’ Week will take place in Trenton, Dec. 26-31. For a full schedule of events, visit www.patriotsweek.com. For information, call (877) 728-9335.