Happy Patriot’s Day

Today is Patriot’s Day here in Massachusetts which means no work for me. Let’s hear it for 3 day weekends! So, because I’m in a patriotic mood and all, I thought this would be a good time to show the photos I took on a trip we made to the State House a couple of weeks ago.

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Every year in April we take a bus to the State House to lobby for libraries. I fondly refer to the bus full of library supporters as the “freedom bus” and it drops us off right in front of the State House which is quite convenient. This year Dale had the day off and I invited him to go with me. He had never been inside the State House before and was excited to go along. Frankly, the man loves his libraries and his librarians and he’d do anything to spend a day with his favorite people in an historical setting.

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We registered, had coffee and cheese danish (mmmm!) in the Great Hall and then went off to listen to various speakers extol the virtues of libraries. We then spent some time speaking with our representatives and explaining to them the legislative agenda in support of libraries. The budget in Massachusetts is tough this year and money for libraries will be hard won but we’re hoping to see some increases. Once we got all the business out of the way we had some free time to do a little sight seeing.

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Dale loved the Hall of Flags and spent a (really) long time studying the various Civil War flag transparencies on display. The State House has over 400 flags in its collection and supposedly rotates these images but I haven’t seen them changed in years.

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I’ve always been enchanted by the stained glass skylight but never knew until this trip that the seals around the center Massachusetts seal are actually the seals of the original 13 colonies. Leave it to Dale to find that out.

After a fabulous lunch of sandwiches and quite possibly the best brownies ever, it was time to board the bus and head for home. We did so filled with the knowledge that we had done our part for libraries that day. Now we just have to sit back and see if the legislators do their part, too.

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This Post Has 39 Comments

  2. Nice tour of the state house! It is downright stupid to leave the house before 2pm today… I’m at work and I drove past 5 downed trees and 2 “live wires” that I called into the police. Stay in.. knit.. and be happy.

    🙂

  3. I was thinking of you as I passed reenactments in Lexington on Saturday. Redcoats! Muskets! Redcoats on horses! It was very exciting.

  6. The State House just went on my list of Things to See Before I Leave Massachusetts – thanks for the tour and the photos!

    I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that legislators do the right thing by our libraries.

  7. Thanks for the tour. I’ll also be keeping my fingers crossed!

    Patriot’s Day is a holiday in Maine as well, so I plan to sit in the house and knit all day. Not much else to do on a nasty day like this; not that I’d want to do anything else 🙂

  8. That’s gorgeous stained glass. I’ll have to take a tour someday — I’m pretty sure I did as a kid, but that was back in the Cleveland administration.

    They said last night on the news that 5000 registered runners didn’t pick up their numbers. Smart people.

  11. Let’s hear it for libraries! I think a lobbying day that combines fun, activism, and cheese danish is a great idea — I hope it pays dividends this year!

  12. Lucky you. I love the State House and I loved Patriots Day. We always went to the Red Sox game and then watched the marathon as they ran through Kenmore Square.

  13. Oh – I want a Patriot’s Day so I don’t have to work…wait, I don’t have a job….

    I love the slogan “Lobby for Libraries!” Let’s get bumper stickers..

  14. i’ve never taken a tour but i once did get to go to the state house for a fundraiser party which was kind of surreal. i don’t normally get today off, but considering that i live just 5 miles from the start and work 1 mile from the finish, i decided to take a vacation day.

  17. Some things should have the support of everyone and libraries fall into that category. I hope you get the budget increase!

    That stained glass skylight is gorgeous! I hope your day off is filled with fun.

  18. Looks like a good trip. They do something similar for my library, but the trip to Albany and back to NJ is a little much for me. Glad you have the day off. I only have the day off because I couldn’t get to the train station thanks to all the flooded roads!

  19. Some things should have the support of everyone and libraries fall into that category. I hope you get the budget increase!

    That stained glass skylight is gorgeous! I hope your day off is filled with fun.

  20. It always amazes me how when budget cuts come around, educational programs and libraries are among the first to suffer. I’m a big supporter of our local library (we’re homeschoolers so we use it a LOT) and we definitely do our part to keep circulation rates up 🙂

  21. So this post was about… umm… 3day weekend, cheese danish, great photos during visit, librarian love, cheese danish, great time with Dale, more great photos, awesome brownies, good time with gals, yummy sandwiches…. and cheese danish. What in the world makes me think I can really go on a diet? I have no idea. heh

  22. Sigh. Not only am I at work today, but I was at work on Sunday, too! But I’m glad that you got to kick up your heels a little. 🙂

    I’ve never been inside the State House, but I hope to see that skylight one day–it’s gorgeous!

  24. We get the day here in Maine too. I wonder if it was because we used to be part of Mass. Wicked windy and wet here today.

  26. Hooray for our libraries and the wonderful programs they have to offer-I hope the powers that be continue to support them!

  28. I spent four years in Boston and never saw the inside of the statehouse! Thanks for sharing your pictures!

    When I was in Boston, I always thought of Patriot’s Day as Marathon Day. I know there’s more going on than the Marathon, but that seemed like the most prevalent thing.

  30. Thanks for sharing the pictures from your trip. I do hope that the lawmakers give libraries the money they deserve. Enjoy your day off!

  33. It sounds like a great day–but I thought Patriot’s Day was the 19th??

    Still, it reminds me that it’s been a while since I read my favorite Patriot’s-Day-Centered book, “Best of Enemies” by Nancy Bond . . . about a bunch of British “soldiers” who decide to make a real show for themselves during the book’s re-enactment ceremonies in Concord . . . It’s a YA book, but still one of my very favorite books.

  34. oh, that brings back pleasant memories of the new england vacation my family took when i was in high school. among our boston stops was the statehouse – one of those places where everyone found something interesting. (oh, and go libraries!)

  35. Good thing that great food keeps you lobbyists going; who knows what the fate of Massachusett’s libraries would be otherwise?! Lovely photos.

  38. What a great way to spend a day! I sometimes forget what a goldmine of history there is in a northern city. The stained glass is quite a treasure.

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