Thomas Paine Day Celebrates A Founding Father In New Rochelle

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle is preparing to go all out to celebrate its most famous Rabble-Rouser and it promises a fitting blowout.

The Thomas Paine National Historical Association (TPNHA) and the Huguenot & New Rochelle Historical Association (HNHRA) say that they applaud the New Rochelle City Council's decision on April 16 to establish June 8 annually as Thomas Paine Day in New Rochelle.

The associations have planned a program to be held on Saturday, June 8, at the Thomas Paine Memorial Building, located at 983 North Avenue.

Schedule of Events:

1 p.m. - 8 p.m. Exhibits about Thomas Paine's Life and Legacy

4 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. The Brian Carter Jazz Trio

4:30 - 4:45 p.m. Thomas Paine's "The Liberty Tree," performed by Eliza Vincz Lichack

4:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Tutti Bravi Productions, Inc. presents selections from an original modern opera, "Common Sense: The Story of Thomas Paine," written & composed by John Taylor Thomas

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Remarks by New Rochelle Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert, other elected officials, community leaders, and leaders from TPNHA & HNHRA.

6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Eliza Vincz Lichack & The Brian Carter Jazz trio close the program

4 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Light Refreshments

The New Rochelle City Council’s decision was in response to a petition submitted by the two associations to give permanent recognition to Thomas Paine’s critical role in sparking the American Revolution and his ownership of a farm in New Rochelle where he lived from approximately 1802-1806, before his death in Greenwich Village on June 8, 1809.

Located on opposite sides of the Thomas Paine Monument (1839), the oldest memorial to a US Founding Father, the Huguenot & New Rochelle Historical Association owns and maintains the Paine Cottage, the only surviving home of Thomas Paine, open since 1910 as a museum.

The Thomas Paine National Historical Association owns and maintains the Thomas Paine Memorial Building, constructed in 1925 by Paine admirers, including Thomas Edison, as a center for meetings and exhibits.

Under the umbrella of the Thomas Paine New Rochelle Center, the two associations work together with a shared purpose of promoting the historical importance of Thomas Paine — internationally, nationally, and locally — and providing programming, space for events, and a platform to educate the world about Thomas Paine.