When I caught word that Mt. Vernon was offering free admission on President's Day and special activities including a wreath laying and costumed interpreters, I thought why not?! I managed to convince my friends Jeff and James to come along ... we sure did see a few 18th century folks running around, saw Washington's tomb, and peeked in to the new museum on the grounds. We also managed to catch the tail end of a great parade honoring George Washington in Alexandria, just a few miles away to the north. As proud 4-H alums, we were all pretty excited to see a 4-H club or two marching, along with a host of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts groups, high school bands, Abraham Lincoln himself, a few horses, and a couple George impersonators. I was delighted to learn they were giving out patches in honor of George's 275th birthday this year and made sure to ask each passing car if they were giving them away ... I finally tracked one down from the local bank's float!!!
But perhaps even more exciting than all of this was quickly understanding why there was so much tight security was in place at Mt. Vernon ... you guessed it, none other than the CURRENT GW was there in person to share a few words! I don't remember too much of his speech, as I was more impressed with watching the crowd's antics, the 8-vehicle security detail, and the Marine One helicopters taking off! But, all in all, it was a pleasant surprise!
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