FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Summer in Historic Richmond Town:
Programs & Events June-August 2023

Staten Island, New York: Summer in Historic Richmond Town continues with special programming all season long, June-August, 2023. Summer days and nights are filled to the brim at Historic Richmond Town. Experience hundreds of years of Staten Island history in the historic houses and workshops of our Open Village, celebrate Juneteenth with special programming, travel through time as a historic trades apprentice, and join a weekend lineup of July 4th festivities.

On Wednesday, May 10, Historic Richmond Town’s Main Village site comes alive with the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of New York City’s past with the opening of its annual Open Village season. From May 10-October 1, Wednesday-Sunday from 11am-5pm, visitors can watch skilled artisans as they practice their trades, tour the restored interiors of period homes, take part in civic life, and explore functioning open-hearth kitchens. General admission tickets are $10 (adults), and $5 (kids 6+); kids ages five and under are free. Tickets include access to the Visitor Center, Open Village, and the Historical Museum. FREE ADMISSION is available to visitors of all ages every Thursday. Open structures vary daily. Email info@historicrichmondtown.org for more information. 

The English Country Dance program continues now through June 28 in the Third County Courthouse. Classes are held every second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 7:30-9:30pm. Tickets are $10; no experience necessary and all ages are welcome. 

Experience the American Revolution as it happened in Richmond County during Revolutionary War Living History Saturday on Saturday, June 10, 10am-4pm. Living Historians will be on-hand throughout the village to demonstrate military drills, weapons, and historic skills. Hear stories about soldiers and civilians, and learn about what life was like during the American Revolution in New York. Tickets are $15 per person and will be available on-site.

On June 18, Historic Richmond Town’s Juneteenth Celebration features a day of special programs including demonstrations of open-hearth cooking, discussions of social history, and historical reenactments. Learn about the history and origins of this holiday celebrating the end of American chattel slavery. The centerpiece of the day’s events is a Juneteenth Reenactment by the Freedom Players.

Celebrate our nation’s independence with old-fashioned family fun during Independence Day Weekend, July 1-2, 10am-4pm. Meet costumed interpreters and living historians portraying soldiers, tradespeople, and founding fathers and mothers. Sign your name to a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Enjoy demonstrations of 19th-century fireworks, a historic hot air balloon launch, and more. View a full schedule of events on our website.

Kids ages 12-15 can experience history firsthand during the Summer Apprentice Program, running weekdays, July 10-14, July 10-21, July 31-August 4 and August 7-11. A wonderful alternative to traditional summer camp, students work in historical costume alongside experienced artisans to build their skills in a variety of historic trades such as blacksmithing, broommaking, tinsmithing, and open-hearth cooking as they make one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted creations. Space is limited. Register online.

Historic Richmond Town is pleased to announce its first-annual Field of Flags, a striking outdoor tribute on display between Memorial Day and Independence Day. Sponsor a flag in honor of active-duty service members or veterans, in memory of fallen loved ones, or in celebration of our nation’s independence. The names of individuals recognized or remembered by flags will be displayed in Historic Richmond Town’s Visitor Center, as well as online. Flags will be planted on green spaces in the outer village to forge a breathtaking landscape befitting of this notable commemoration amongst our 18th-century buildings. All proceeds raised benefit the education initiatives of Historic Richmond Town, a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural institution.

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Press Contact:
Amy Kennard
Director of External Affairs, Historic Richmond Town
akennard@historicrichmondtown.org
718-351-1611, ex. 266