Huge ship and celebrities will be at Mayflower 400 – in America
Plymouth, Massachusetts, reveals plans for year-long celebration of the voyage of the Mayflower.
People attending events to mark the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower will get to see celebrities and world leaders and take a trip on a full-scale replica of the ship – but in the USA.
Our American cousins in Plymouth, Massachusetts, have just revealed plans for a year-long schedule of “signature events” to commemorate the voyage of the Mayflower and the founding of Plymouth Colony in 1620.
The quadricentennial programme includes ceremonies with appearances from “dignitaries, state and federal officials, celebrities and other VIPs”, all centred around Mayflower II, the spot-on replica of the original vessel.
Massachusetts, where the Pilgrims landed after leaving from Plymouth’s Barbican, will also host exhibitions, live TV broadcasts, festivals, arts and entertainment events and an educational programme.
Mayflower II (Image: Ron Chancey)
Dusty Rhodes, chair of the Plymouth, Massachusetts 400th Commission, outlined the programme from the Grand Staircase at the Massachusetts State House, in an address attended by Governor Charlie Baker and other US politicians.
The non-profit Plymouth 400 Inc, established in 2011, has been working alongside a 35-member State Commission since January 2016 to create what they describe as “an epic commemoration of the voyage of the Mayflower – a story that significantly shaped the building of America.”
It will embrace the history of the indigenous people living in the area at the time the Europeans arrived, and will welcome descendents of people who set sail from Plymouth four centuries ago.
Ms Rhodes says: “In name, Plymouth 400 calls to mind a singular place, but the history of Plymouth Colony is integral to the founding of Massachusetts and the nation.
“The cultural contributions and American traditions that began with the interaction of the Wampanoag (a confederacy of tribes living on the eastern seaboard at the time Europeans arrived) and English peoples have significantly shaped the building of America and continue to provide lessons for our future.
“Further, the inclusion of the Native American perspective is one of the truly unique aspects of this commemoration as, historically, this perspective has been mishandled and misrepresented.”
Michele Pecoraro, executive director of Plymouth 400 Inc, adds: “The same cornerstones that defined this moment in history are also defined by the themes of this commemoration: exploration, innovation, self-governance, religious expression, immigration and thanksgiving.
“These values continue to inform global diplomacy and illuminate the diverse contributions of the immigrants that fortify the fabric of American culture. “Each of Plymouth 400’s commemorative events and programs were specifically designed to highlight these themes.”
The US programme includes:
SIGNATURE EVENTS
The Plymouth 400 Commemoration Opening Ceremony – April 24, 2020
Held at Plymouth’s Memorial Hall and grounds, the opening ceremony will be a “cross-cultural spectacle of historical content, visual and performing arts, special guest speakers and more”.
Official Maritime Salute to the 400th – June 27-28, 2020
This event pays tribute to the Pilgrims’ journey onboard the Mayflower with a parade of sail in and around Plymouth Harbor.
A regatta of wooden ships, official vessels, work boats, native mishoons and pleasure craft will culminate in a traditional New England lobster dinner at the waterfront.
Mayflower II will be a centerpiece of this event.
Mayflower II – the facts
Mayflower II is a replica of the 17th-century ship Mayflower, which took the Pilgrims to the New World.
The replica was built in Devon in 1955 and 1956, in a collaboration between Englishman Warwick Charlton and Plimoth Plantation, an American museum.
They used reconstructed ship blueprints held by the American museum, with hand construction by English shipbuilders using traditional methods.
Mayflower II was sailed from Plymouth on April 20, 1957, recreating the original voyage across the Atlantic.
Mayflower II arrived at Plymouth. Massachusetts, on June 22, 1957 and was towed up the East River into New York City on, July 1, where it received a ticker-tape parade.
The ship was built at the Upham Shipyard in Brixham and financed by private donations to represent the alliance between the UK and USA during the Second World War.
The ship is considered a faithful replica but does have electric lights. It is 106 ft (32 m) long by 25 ft (7.6 m) wide, and has a 236-ton displacement, three masts and six sails.
The ship is due to return permanently to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 2019, just ahead of the 400th anniversary of the pilgrims’ arrival.
The Wampanoag Ancestors Walk – August 15, 2020
The Walk will be led by people from the Wampanoag tribes of Massachusetts through downtown Plymouth.
Placards will be carried with the names of the original 69 villages of the Wampanoag Nation. Participants will stop and bless the spots where their ancestors once walked. The event will conclude with a drum ceremony and reception.
The Official State House Salute to the 400th Commemoration – September 14, 2020
Held at the Massachusetts State House, this ceremony will honour the Pilgrim forefathers and Native people “immortalized in the historic founding of Plymouth Colony”.
The Embarkation Festival – September 19 and 20, 2020
This cultural and arts festival will honour the traditions, cuisine, and music of the original settlers and Wampanoag people and the immigrants who followed and “contributed to the fabric of American life”. National and international in scope, invited dignitaries will include heads of state, celebrities, and students from around the world.
Wampanoag working (Image: Plimoth Plantation)
The Indigenous History Conference and Powwow – October 30 to November 1, 2020
Hosted by Bridgewater State University, the conference will celebrate the “longevity and continuity” of America’s indigenous people.
Speakers will include native and non-native scholars and experts and culminate in a traditional Powwow.
Thanksgiving Week 2020
A multi-day series of programming will begin with America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration concerts on November 20, and parade on November 21, with the “One Small Candle” Ceremony on November 22, and Thanksgiving Festival Events throughout the week culminating in the “spectacle” of Plymouth 400’s Illuminate Thanksgiving on November 25, the Eve of Thanksgiving.
In addition to the Plymouth 400 Signature Events there will also many “sanctioned” events – existing or new events produced by partner organisations but included in the 2020 master calendar. They will include:
Mayflower: The Voyage that Made a Nation
Mayflower II will serve as the centerpiece of the 400th commemoration. Planning is under way to sail the ship to Boston in the spring of 2020 and to Provincetown that autumn.
Visitors will be able to board the ship, hear stories about the Mayflower and her famous passengers, and imagine what it was like on board for the 66-day voyage.
A street within the recreated 1627 English Village at Plimoth Plantation (Image: Plimoth Plantation)
Provincetown and General Society of Mayflower Descendants Commemorative Events
The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum and the Town of Provincetown will host this congress beginning on September 11, 2020.
Plans are in place to welcome Mayflower II to Provincetown Harbor ahead of the event.
During the visit, Mayflower II, will be part of daily historical reenactments of the Signing of the Mayflower Compact in Provincetown Harbor in 1620. On September 13, a memorial service and wreath laying will be held.
The commemoration will culminate with a “Sunrise Toast and Bon Voyage” to Mayflower II on September 14 as she journeys to her home port in Plymouth.
15/04/2015 Pic by: Penny Cross Meiling DellaGrotte, from Massachusetts near Plymouth Rock, visits the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth to link in with the 400th Anniversary. (Image: Penny Cross)
There are also some “ongoing programmes” including:
The Legacy Trail of Authentic Places
This being developed to trace key events of 1620 via a major history and culture-based network of sites throughout Eastern Massachusetts and Boston.
“Our” Story: 400 Years of Wampanoag History
This is an educational exhibition created by Wampanoag tribal members from Aquinnah and Mashpee. This exhibition will travel to educational and cultural institutions.
Story by business editor William Telford in PlymouthLive
