A DOUBLE CELEBRATION AT ROCKINGHAM FOR WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY
- Jan 24, 2024
- 1 min read
On Saturday, February 24th, first, Rockingham will be extolling the results of the historic house’s exterior renovation during a seven-month closure in 2023 and officially toasting the grand reopening (last September) of the house for tours with a 1:00 pm ceremony from the second-floor porch to kick off the afternoon’s celebrations. Announcements of future work to continue to ready the site for the 250th celebration of our country’s founding will be included. Then, George Washington will be celebrated with an open house event commemorating his 292nd birthday. The downstairs parlors and the upstairs military office, featuring our life-sized Washington will be open from after the opening ceremony to 4:00 pm, with no need for reservations. Visitors can interact with period-clothed staff, participate in a scavenger hunt and pick up a child’s activity pamphlet to go. The porch, normally closed to the public, will also be open for limited access. There will be light refreshments available in the kitchen and the museum store will be open.
More may be added to the day’s festivities, so keep checking this website or the Rockingham Historic Site Facebook page for any updates. A donation of $5 is suggested.
Double celebrations tied to historical figures always carry a special charm because they connect communities to their own heritage in a way that regular festivals do not. Rockingham putting together something meaningful around Washington's birthday shows a real commitment to keeping local history alive rather than letting it fade into a textbook footnote. Missed the last event they hosted because I was tied up completing onsite forklift training near me that same weekend which is still frustrating to think about. Will definitely be keeping an eye on their calendar this time around to make sure it does not happen again.