The Independence Ride to Boston

Hear ye…..hear ye……hear ye…… The Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has just declared that the Colonies are free and independent - - no longer subject to the British King! A reading of this “Unanimous Declaration of Independence” will take place on July 4th at 10:00 at the (Old ) State House, 206 Washington Street, Boston. We biking citizens will ride, not on horseback, but on self-propelled cycles, to hear this declaration proclaimed to the people of Boston. Thus we shall congregate at the corner of Granite Avenue and Hill Top Street in the District of Dorchester on said July 4th at 8:45 AM in order to bicycle to said (Old) State House and hear the proclamation. Boneshakers of all kinds are welcome for this historic ride to the colonial capital. Upon the conclusion of the proclamation, we shall return to our muster location in the District of Dorchester. From there we shall disperse and spread the news to the outlying districts. *** Being along the coast, this is a relatively flat ride and open to novices. We'll follow part of the Neponset River Bike Trail (see http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dcr/parks/trails/neponset-river-greenway-tnf.pdf). We'll meet at Neponset Park, at the corner of Hilltop Street and Granite Ave. Hardier pedalers may also approach the muster location from the southwest, accessing the Neponset River Bike Trail from points in Milton or Mattapan. The ride in from Neponset Park takes less than an hour. Please arrive at 8:45 to unload bikes so we can set out at 9:00 AM sharp. We'll return by a different route, taking in the views of the harbor and skirting around Columbia Point and JFK Library. We might also take in the annual turnaround of the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") from Castle Island in South Boston. Rain cancels this event.