SALEM — On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere took his famous Midnight Ride, and 250 years later he will ride again in spirit in Salem. 

Communities across the nation are set to participate in the “Two Light Night Initiative,” which will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Midnight Ride through April 22. Participating communities are being asked to put out two lights; however, during her report during city council’s meeting Tuesday, Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey said that the city would be going above and beyond with a ceremony Monday night at the Lincoln Plaza Gazebo. 

“We thought, we can do better than that. So, on Monday night the 21st at 7:30 in the new gazebo downtown we are going to have our two-light-night commemoration,” said Dickey. 

A rider on horseback will play the part of Revere, riding through the city to deliver the two lights to be hung in the gazebo, where a short ceremony and short remarks will be held. 

“We will have a few speakers give short speeches, and we will have a rider and horse dressed as Paul Revere bring the light through town and tell us ‘the Regulars are coming’ because he didn’t really say ‘the British are coming,’ he said ‘the Regulars are coming,’ and we will put the lights in the Gazebo,” said Dickey. 

In addition to the rider’s delivery and remarks the ceremony will also feature patriotic tunes performed by the Salem High School band and serve as an opportunity for residents to meet with candidates in the upcoming May 6 primary election. 

“There will be a five-piece band from the high school with drums and flutes if you’d like to come and we will also invite the candidates for election in the primary election to come and meet the general public if they’d like to. We just want to commemorate that in a way that will be a little fun, and we invite everyone in the public to come,” said Dickey.