Valley Forge Parties-on for George Washington Presidents Day Weekend

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. - George Washington was 46 years old before he ever partied on his birthday. And what a grand event it was (for those days), including being serenaded by his wife and Continental Army soldiers in the midst of their storied winter encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1778.  This year, the party's even bigger as Valley Forge National Historical Park continues the tradition during Presidents Day weekend, February 17 - 20.

Think birthday cake, made from Martha Washington's recipe; children's activities; re-enactments by the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment; songs from the Colonial Revelers and an appearance by the General himself!

Members of the Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America kick off the commemoration on Saturday, February 18, with the 100th Washington's Birthday Encampment and Pilgrimage. It's the oldest continuous scouting event in the world, with more than 3,000 scouts and leaders expected to camp-out for the weekend, hike the Park and learn about Revolutionary War era muskets, music, medicine and more.

The 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment will gather at the Park's Muhlenberg Brigade area from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, February 19 and, at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., will demonstrate musket and artillery firing, colonial cooking and soldier life as it was during their predecessors' 1777-8 encampment. National Park Service Rangers will also guide visitors on quarter-mile walks from the Visitor Center to the Muhlenberg Brigade at 10:20 a.m., 12:50 p.m., and 2:20 p.m.             

At the Visitor Center, The Encampment Store will host a birthday bash on Monday, February 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Children can create crafts inside and Join the Continental Army outside, where they'll drill just as the real Continental soldiers did at Valley Forge. Back inside, everyone's invited to party-down with General and Mrs. Washington at noon, with free slices of birthday cake and the harmonious Colonial Revelers singing Happy Birthday.  

For more information about Valley Forge National Historical Park, visit www.nps.gov/vafo or call the Visitor Center at 610-783-1099. To learn about affordable weekend hotel packages, getaway ideas and area attractions, shopping and dining, visit the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau website, www.valleyforge.org.

The Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Ltd. is a nonprofit, membership-based sales and marketing organization that aggressively promotes the Valley Forge area and Montgomery County as a convention site and leisure visitor destination by encouraging patronage of its 300-plus member hotels, restaurants, attractions and services. The Bureau's Website, at www.valleyforge.org, serves visitors, meeting planners, tour operators and residents.

About Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park educates present and future generations of Americans about one of the most defining events in our nation's history by preserving the natural and cultural resources that commemorate the encampment of the Continental Army at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78. For more information, call 610-783-1099.