Hundreds of people filled Cary Hall on Thursday evening to celebrate volunteerism at the annual Patriots’ Day Awards Ceremony, which was hosted by Saturday Night Live alumna and Lexington native, Rachel Dratch.
Dratch opened the evening with a comedic monologue where she reminisced on how much she enjoyed growing up in Lexington.
“Lexington smells fantastic,” she said. “New York smells like garbage.”
A handful of Lexington residents walked away from the evening with prestigious awards for their dedication to volunteering.
Susan Rockwell, who has been a Lexington resident since 1955 and has spent the past decade volunteering as a poll worker for Precinct 1, received the White Tricorne Hat Award.
The award honors a resident who has dedicated their time to volunteering and acting as a leader in Lexington over the years.
Rockwell, who is now the Warden of Precinct 1, graduated from Lexington High School in 1963. A retired attorney, Rockwell has served as the chair of the Cary Lecture Series and the 300th anniversary of Lexington event, has been a part of the Historical Society since 1988, and is now on the board of the Council on Aging.
Fred Johnson, a Lexington resident who has long been involved in town committees and advancing the arts, received the Minuteman Cane Award.
The award is presented to a resident who inspires others by pursuing a second career, hobby, or dedicating their time to volunteering. In 1988, Lexington’s Council on Aging and the Minuteman newspaper revived the tradition of awarding a historic walking stick to honor a Lexington resident. The original Boston Post Cane was presented to the oldest male resident. The new award honors a Lexington resident, aged 80 or older, who reflects today’s active senior life.
Johnson has served on Town Meeting, the Lexington Center Committee, and the Cary Memorial Hall Building Committee. He has served on the boards of LexMedia and the Chamber of Commerce. Johnson was also the President of Lexington Symphony Orchestra and served on its board for several years.
Lexington High School seniors Isabella Barbesino and Siya Setty received the Pat Flynn Outstanding Youth Awards. That award is designed to applaud a graduating high school senior who has committed themselves to community service.
Catherine Taibi, who is also a senior at Lexington High, received the Lexington Minute Men Scholarship Award, which includes a $1,000 scholarship.
The ceremony was not just for locals, however. Jean-Yves Sénant, the mayor of Lexington’s sister city, Antony, France, came to the awards ceremony with several of his staff. Sénant spoke, in French, about how much he appreciates his city’s friendship with Lexington and how he is inspired by revolutionaries around the world. Jill Hai, a member of the Select Board, translated his remarks.
Lexington’s next volunteering endeavor, VO250, was introduced by Mona Roy, vice chair of the Lex250 commission, during the ceremony. The new initiative, which will be led by Lexington resident Sara Bothwell Allen, involves tracking the number of hours that residents spend volunteering so the town can recognize Lexingtonians for their efforts. Roy and Bothwell Allen’s goal for the town is to collectively spend 250,000 hours volunteering by April 2026.
“This is a nod to our past and a call to action today,” Roy said.
Roy and Bothwell Allen attempted to present a large wooden arch, which would replace the Lex250 countdown calendar outside Cary Hall during their presentation. But when they did, the top half of the arch got caught on the projection screen, fell off, and shattered on the stage. Roy ensured the audience the arch is fixable.
“Everyone will get a piece of the souvenir arch to take home with them,” Dratch joked after the mishap.
Congratulations to Sue, well deserved!