A ceremony marking the 160th anniversary of the Portland Rum Riot will be held at noon Tuesday in the State of Maine Room at Portland City Hall, instead of Monument Square, because of the threat of rain.

The ceremony commemorating the riot on June 2, 1855, will feature presentations and readings by Mayor Michael Brennan, Portland historian Herb Adams and the Friends of Evergreen Cemetery.

The commemoration kicks off a series of fundraising events planned by the Friends group to celebrate the history shared by the popular memorial park and famous people buried there who were connected to the rum riot, including then-Mayor Neal Dow.

Group members hope to generate interest in Evergreen’s past and address mounting capital needs, including $250,000 in tree work, aging monuments and crumbling stone walls.


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