1950: "The Best and Biggest Ever"

175 years after the Concord Fight, Patriots’ Day continued to combine old and new traditions. Mainstay events were still observed, like the parade and ball. Literary exercises were still held, with General Omar Bradley and Senator Leverett Saltonstall as invited speakers. A souvenir booklet containing photographic highlights of the festivities was also produced and sold.

The Boston Marathon, which had begun in 1897, was now the region’s largest Patriots’ Day event, and it was expected that many would watch the broadcast. The Boston Red Sox also played a televised double-header against the New York Yankees the same day. The Boston Herald reported that millions were expected to watch both local Patriots’ Day commemorations and athletic events on television.

More than half of Americans owned automobiles by this time. The planning committee had to devise parking regulations and restrictions for the days before and after the festivities. Plans also had to be made to shuttle the dignitaries of the day, like committee members, town officials, and invited speakers, between multiple events.