Starting this weekend, Coupeville will join many municipalities around the nation in commemorating the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s midnight ride.

Lynn Hyde, a local historian and the executive director of Historic Whidbey, said the events are “teasers” to a greater celebration that will take place in the town next year, on the semiquincentennial anniversary of the revolution.

At 6:30 p.m. this Sunday, community members are invited to Hyde’s presentation, “The truer story of Paul Revere’s Ride,” at the Coupeville Library.

Many might be able to recite Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” or at least remember having to memorize it in elementary school. For people like Hyde, the first verses are engraved onto their DNA, she said.

While the poem has been used in schools to teach about the beginnings of the revolution, Hyde said it doesn’t provide an accurate account of what actually happened the night of April 18, 1775. Longfellow depicted Revere as a lone messenger riding on horseback in the middle of the night, turning him into the myth he is today.

In reality, Hyde said, what made Revere heroic was his ability to organize an “army” of messengers, tasked with alerting minutemen of the arrival of British troops in Massachusetts.

On April 18, the Kingfisher Book Store welcomes children to a reading of the poem, with shop owner Meg Olson reading to preschoolers at 10 a.m. and Joann Roomes reading to elementary schoolers at 4 p.m.

At sunset on Friday, April 18, Paul Revere will be seen galloping through downtown Coupeville, headed towards the Island County Historical Museum where he will deliver a message from the Sons of Liberty that will be read by Patrick Hussey, a docent at Ebey House.

Revere and his horse, brought to life by Coupeville resident Doug Mills and quarter horse Cash, will arrive at the museum at 7:45 p.m., where they will be greeted by community members holding lanterns. Hyde said modern flashlights are welcome, though the more antiquated, the better.

Mills runs the Iron Mills Ranch, a horse boarding stable in Coupeville.

Historic Whidbey, the Island County Historical Society, the Coupeville Chamber of Commerce and the Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association are in the process of brainstorming ideas for next year, Hyde said. While nothing is set in stone, some of the proposals have included parades, living history events, bringing tall ships to Penn Cove and inviting speakers to talk about the revolution from the perspective of loyalists and patriots.

“We want to tell everybody’s side of the story,” Hyde said, explaining how, over time, the island has become home to the descendants of patriots and loyalists, with the former group not getting a lot of “air time” in these commemorations.

With a number of early European settlers feeling a personal connection to the revolution in which their grandparents had fought, Coupeville, located in a national historical reserve, is the right place to celebrate the U.S.’ independence, she said.

“We are happy to make the connection between the founding of the country and the ideas and ideals that the early settlers of Whidbey Island brought with them,” Hyde said.

To learn more or get involved, reach out to the Chamber of Commerce at 360-678-5434.