Western Wayne Heritage, Inc.

06/20/2026

"We have company coming over, go get those fancy glasses" 😎

06/20/2026

"Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good Use of it."
~ John Adams, Signer of the Declaration of Independence

06/20/2026

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."
~Samuel Adams

06/19/2026

It's not too late to grab a gift for Dad! 🎁

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

Dear Patrons, Participants, Vendors, and Community Members,

As many of you heard during the Town Board Meeting or have since read in the Western Wayne News, this year’s 2026 Canal Days will look a little different.

We are still working through the details of what that will entail and will reach out to those who have already reserved booth spaces as soon as we have a clearer understanding of this year’s layout and logistics.

This decision was not made lightly. Planning Canal Days requires extensive coordination, approvals, and permits. Ultimately, without the necessary permit, we are unable to utilize U.S. 40 for the festival. With the increasing day-to-day safety concerns surrounding the wide loads traveling through town, we believe this is the most responsible decision to help ensure the safety of everyone attending and participating in Canal Days.

We ask for your patience and understanding as we work diligently to preserve the traditions that make Canal Days so special while adapting to these necessary changes. Our goal remains the same: to provide a fun, successful, and safe annual festival for the entire Western Wayne community.

We sincerely appreciate the continued support, flexibility, and positivity shown by our vendors, local businesses, volunteers, and community members as we navigate this transition. Please remember that everyone involved in organizing Canal Days is a volunteer who is committed to creating meaningful events for our community.

Thank you for your patience and continued support.

Cambridge City Area Chamber of Commerce
Western Wayne Alliance

06/18/2026

The day after Dr. Joseph Warren was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, John, in Philadelphia.

Dearest Friend Sunday June 18 1775
The Day; perhaps the decisive Day is come on which the fate of America depends. My bursting Heart must find vent at my pen. I have just heard that our dear Friend Dr. Warren is no more but fell gloriously fighting for his Country—saying better to die honourably in the field than ignominiously hang upon the Gallows. Great is our Loss. He has distinguished himself in every engagement, by his courage and fortitude, by animating the Soldiers and leading them on by his own example.

06/18/2026

Throw Back Thursday

🩹🛒 Hook's Drug Store💊 ⚕️

Located at the former Standard Grocery Store location at Main and Walnut Street.

06/17/2026

Betsy Ross and the American Flag 🇺🇸

Betsy would often tell her children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends of a fateful day, late in May of 1776, when three members of a secret committee from the Continental Congress came to call upon her. Those representatives, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, asked her to sew the first flag. George Washington was then the head of the Continental Army. Robert Morris, an owner of vast amounts of land, was perhaps the wealthiest citizen in the Colonies. Colonel George Ross was a respected Philadelphian and also the uncle of her late husband, John Ross.

Naturally, Betsy Ross already knew George Ross as she had married his nephew. Betsy was also acquainted with the great General Washington. Not only did they both worship at Christ Church in Philadelphia, but Betsy's pew was next to George and Martha Washington's pew. Her daughter recalled, "That she was previously well acquainted with Washington, and that he had often been in her house in friendly visits, as well as on business. That she had embroidered ruffles for his shirt bosoms and cuffs, and that it was partly owing to his friendship for her that she was chosen to make the flag."

In June 1776, brave Betsy was a widow struggling to run her own upholstery business. Upholsterers in colonial America not only worked on furniture but did all manner of sewing work, which for some included making flags. According to Betsy, General Washington showed her a rough design of the flag that included a six-pointed star. Betsy, a standout with the scissors, demonstrated how to cut a five-pointed star in a single snip.

06/16/2026

June 17, 1775 "The Battle of Bunker Hill."

Here, hundreds of British soldiers and colonial militia fought and died during the first major battle of the American Revolution.

This battle took place throughout the hilly landscape and fenced pastures of Charlestown, a town just north of Boston. While named after the highest hill in the area, Bunker Hill, the battle took place on Breed's Hill, the hill situated closest to the Charles River.

William Prescott's men again, must wait until the last minute to open fire. "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes". This time, however, they are running short on ammunition and are soon overrun by, General Thomas Gage and his British soldiers, whom they fight with rocks and the butts of their muskets as they dodge the "Arrows of death."

No longer able to withstand the British attack, Prescott's men retreat north over the road to Cambridge, as General Stark's New Hampshire troops cover them in the rear. One of the last to abandon the fort on Breed's Hill, Doctor Joseph Warren is killed. Warren was shot in the face with a musket ball, a series of bayonet wounds after and stripped of his clothes.

Joseph Warren played a first-hand role in the raising of militias in and around Boston. While Sam Adams was away in 1774, Warren assumed the role of raising militias and the procurement of gunpowder, arms, and other supplies. When Adams and Hancock returned to Boston, they had learned a bounty was placed on their heads by the British crown. Joseph Warren directed Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn the leaders that the British were coming for them on the night of April 18, 1775 in Lexington, where Hancock and Adams were hiding.

When the British took the field and began burying the dead, they put Warren in a mass grave. His remains were later identified by Paul Revere, who was able to identify him by the gold wiring and dental work, he had fashioned for him. His body was moved to several different burial grounds, but his final resting place was found in 1855 in his family’s plot at Forest Hill’s Cemetery in Boston.

After 2 hours of fighting, British casualties totaled 1,054. Colonial losses totaled an estimated 450 soldiers by comparison. When the smoke cleared, the town of Charlestown laid destroyed. Residents were forced to move or start their lives anew.

News of the battle helped unite the thirteen colonies. In the aftermath of the battle, General George Washington assumed command of the colonial forces around Boston in July 1775.

Abigail Adams and her son John Quincy Adams watched the Battle of Bunker Hill from a distance, specifically from Penn's Hill in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts. They observed the battle from afar, witnessing the smoke and hearing the sounds of cannon fire. John Quincy, then around seven years old, later recalled the experience, even mentioning seeing the fires of Charlestown and his mother's tears upon learning of the death of Dr. Joseph Warren, their physician and close friend.