It’s not every day you walk around downtown Newberry and find Mayor Tim Marden wearing a tricorn cap.

But on Saturday, hundreds of community members did as Newberry kicked off its yearslong celebration of America’s 250th birthday with a reenactment of the American Revolutionary War Battles of Lexington and Concord and Liberty Tree dedication during its Main Street Spring Festival.

As a harpsichord rendition of “Rule, Britannia!” and “Yankee Doodle” played, an American Saddlebred horse trotted through the vendor-lined streets where women in long dresses took shade under parasols at a colonial encampment, and militiamen fired muskets at British soldiers in red wool coats.

Even after Saturday’s battle, the shooter of “the shot heard ‘round the world” still remains a mystery.

“I think people just got a good glimpse of what it was really like. That was the goal,” said a costumed Marden after joining the colonials in their victory over the British.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts are known as the first military engagements of the Revolution.

On April 18, 1775, silversmith Paul Revere rode into the town of Lexington to alert American “minutemen” ready to fight at any moment about British troops coming from Boston to arrest Sons of Liberty leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock.

The next day, 77 American militiamen faced around 700 British troops in the town. After multiple casualties, the militiamen scattered and the British moved into Concord to seize artillery.

But nearly 3,500 militiamen killed and wounded around 250 British Redcoats there, compared to about 90 of their own soldiers. It wouldn’t be until 1783 that the war would end, securing America’s independence from Great Britain.

Saturday’s reenactors came to Newberry from across the state and country to showcase the famous battles. For some, participation was about keeping the history of both their own countries and families alive.

An actor who went by “Young the Elder” portrayed a Scottish Islander soldier from the 42nd Island Regiment who took a shilling to fight in the King’s army over running an unprofitable croft.

Elder wore the regiment’s traditional wool kilt, wool beret and wool jacket dyed red from the roots of a madder plant used to dye all British uniform red.

“We’re sort of ashamed to have lost. But you know, there’s more battles supposed to be fought in the Caribbean, and of course, there’s always the French,” Elder said. “We are gonna go fight the French in a few more years.”

Out of character, Elder, originally from Great Britain, said the Revolutionary War isn’t taught in schools there. He learned about it later in life through historical offerings in the U.S. like the Freedom Trail in Boston, helping him connect with generational roots.

“I’m British, it’s in my blood. My father was a [Royal Air Force] artillery. My grandfather was at Dunkirk. My great-great-uncle was killed at Gallipoli,” he said. “A lot of military in the family, so I guess it’s my way of doing something military, even though it’s not.”

Amy O’Hara also paid homage to her family lineage by portraying distant relative Sarah Ewen at the reenactment.

Known for the quality of bullets she cast and being a healer and midwife, O’Hara said Ewen was the wife of Timothy Ewen, who fought on the colonial side during Lexington and Concord after initially starting as loyalist to the British.

O’Hara said Timothy was crippled after the war, and following his death, Ewen was denied widow benefits because of her husband’s time as a loyalist.

“She ended up living to 84, which at that time period, that was really old. She [also] healed Daniel Boone’s family from a terrible sickness,” O’Hara said. “I’m super proud to represent a really amazing woman.”

Marden said there were a few unexpected hurdles leading up to the show, including the original actor portraying Paul Revere falling off the horse and breaking a rib during rehearsal on Tuesday. Luckily, Natalie the rider came to the rescue as “Paulette” Revere.

Also on Saturday, the city and Gainesville Sons of the American Revolution dedicated an elm Liberty Tree at City Hall. Liberty Trees were gathering places for people to discuss political issues happening during the Revolution and now aim to serve as living monuments of the tradition.

Marden said he’s looking forward to the rest of Newberry’s 250th festivities.

“July 4th we’ll have a 100-element parade of significant American events and inventions, and in September we’ll redecorate the municipal building like Independence Hall,” he said.