This SNL star will take part in the Lexington Patriots Day Parade

Travel

“I’ll start practicing my parade wave,” Dratch said.

Long before she was a “Saturday Night Live” star, Rachel Dratch was a Lexington kid, and she’ll return home this weekend to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in her hometown.

Dratch told NBC Boston’s Jeff Saperstone that she will take part in the Lexington Patriots Day Parade, which takes place on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Patriots Day is a state holiday in Massachusetts that commemorates the first battles of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775, which includes the Battle of Lexington.

“I remember the bicentennial. I was in fourth grade and that was a huge deal back then,” Dratch said. “I’m just glad I’m around for the 250!”

This year’s parade will be “bigger and more exciting than ever” due to the 250th anniversary, according to organizers, with nearly 2,700 marchers, reenactors, and performers. It will include celebrities, dignitaries, floats, marching bands, dancers, fife and drum corps, jugglers, and the Shriners. Participants will march more than 2.5 miles along Massachusetts Avenue from Maple Street to Worthen Road.

Dratch told Saperstone she visits Lexington often because her friends, cousins, and mother still live there and she’s always eager to get her “New England fix.”

“I’ll start practicing my parade wave,” Dratch told Saperstone about being in the parade. “It’s an honor. I love Massachusetts, New England, Lexington. It’s in my roots, so I’m excited about representing at the parade.”

There will be a reenactment on the historic Lexington Battle Green at sunrise many hours before the parade begins. Check out the schedule of this year’s Patriots Day events in Lexington.

Kristi Palma

Culture writer

 

Kristi Palma is a culture writer for Boston.com, focusing on New England travel. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.