The American Society of Le Souvenir Français Inc.

SPECIAL EDITION BULLETIN

Dedication of the Memorial to French Soldiers

“IN HONOR OF FRENCH SOLDIERS

WHO FOUGHT ON THIS GROUND AND

DIED FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF

THE UNITED STATES”

Friday, October 18, 2024 at 1:30PM (sharp)

All are welcome

Abingdon Elementary School Parking

GPS: 37.291278, -76.514633

(7-minute drive from Yorktown Riverwalk via US-17)

Remarks by Brigadier General Vincent de Kytspotter

Head of Military and Defense Mission

French Permanent Mission to the United Nations

We acknowledge with gratitude the following contributors

who made this memorial possible:

Gloucester County – National Park Service – Mr. Warren Deal –

Members of The American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Inc.

Memorial Committee Members:

LCL Mathieu BRULAIS, Thierry CHAUNU, Warren DEAL, CPT Jean-René DEGANS

COL Nicolas DURAND, Robert KELLY Jr., RDML Frédéric De RUPILLY,

PJ LAMBERT, Dr. Robert A SELIG, Nicole YANCEY

This half-hour dedication ceremony will conclude at 2:00PM

in order to allow everyone ample time to drive to Yorktown

and attend the arrival of Lafayette at 2:45PM (see further below)

Lafayette in Chester, PA.



Saturday, October 5, 2024

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

In honor of General Lafayette’s visit to Chester as “Guest of the Nation” on October 5, 1824, the Delaware County Planning Department and community partners welcome all to celebrate this momentous occasion and visit the 1724 Chester Courthouse on its 300th anniversary!

Marquis de Lafayette fought with General Washington in the Battle of Brandywine on Sept. 11, 1777, and was shot in the leg. He retreated with Washington to Chester, prevented the British from entering the city and had his wounds dressed. In 1824, Lafayette revisited the city that saved him. He arrived by boat at 11 pm and proceeded up from the docks along streets lined with children holding candles to light the way. He visited the place where his wounds were dressed and had a dinner at the 1724 Chester Courthouse at 1 am with local dignitaries and soldiers he fought with during the Revolutionary War.

200 years later, we will celebrate his return to Chester City by lining the street for his procession and honor him at the Courthouse. Along the Avenue of the States, local Girl Scouts will run a craft table to make paper candles and tricorn hats to prepare for his arrival. Reenactors from the City Troop, Revolutionary War soldiers, and others will create historical ambience. Purchase Lafayette swag and souvenirs at The Lafayette Shoppe. Local businesses along the Avenue of the States will be open.

The 1724 Chester Courthouse is undergoing a multi-year restoration project led by the State and the County of Delaware in anticipation of America’s Semiquincentennial in 2026. Learn more about the project and take a tour of the Courthouse at 1:30 or 3 pm.

Here's the itinerary of the day....

• 1:00pm Courthouse open, Courtyard open, tables set up
• 1:30pm Courthouse Tour
• 1:45pm Bell ringing to announce arrival
• 2:00pm Lafayette Arrival at 4^th & Avenue of the States (line street arrival)
• 2:30pm Speeches- Lafayette (Michael Halbert) greetings, Ode to Lafayette
• 3:00pm Courthouse Tour
• 3:30pm Speech- Bruce Mowday on Lafayette, Washington letter to Congress

We will see you soon !!!

Thank you and Vive Lafayette !!!.

Bruce Mowday- Lafayette in Chester Bicentennial Committee Chair

Chuck Schwam- Executive Director & National Chair of the Bicentennial Committee

Lafayette in Baltimore, MD.



October 5-9, 1824

Free events require no advance registration. Ticketed events require advance purchase and include entry fees and activities with meals + free parking as indicated.

—> Click HERE for detailed event information and updates on our Facebook Page

—> Click HERE to purchase tickets for the Bus Footstep Tour and/or Speaker Luncheon on October 8th 

—> Click HERE to purchase tickets for the Farewell Soirée + Musical Production on October 9th

—> Click HERE for details on how you can be our Guest of Honor as a Sponsor of Lafayette Bicentennial events in Baltimore  

We look forward to being in your company at these entertaining and educational events to honor Lafayette’s historic legacy!

Vive Lafayette!

Jackie Noller

Chair, Lafayette Bicentennial-Baltimore

American Friends of Lafayette

Join us on Sunday, October 6 for this special event in Old Town Hall, which hosted the Marquis du Lafayette during his 1824-25 Farewell tour.

Meet James and learn more about how this enslaved man shared information that helped to free his very masters, as well as the entire country, from “slavery” under English rule. Will his own freedom follow?

Free event. Registration required: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/Lafayette2024

October 7 Lafayette Fort McHenry Baltimore

The reenactment of Lafayette’s arrival at Fort McHenry on October 7 begins at 1:30pm with a parade led by the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps. A replica of Washington’s Revolutionary War tent will be set up on the Fort grounds, and the National Guard’s U.S. Army #229 Band and local singers will perform music played for Lafayette two hundred years ago. The tent, on loan from Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution, will be open to the public on October 5 and 6 during regular Fort hours.

Lafayette Bicentennial-Baltimore way to go!!!!

The Fort McHenry hits just keep on coming!

After Defenders' Day this month, look for General Lafayette to return in October. Here's our story from the August issue.

https://sobopost.org/2024/09/03/lafayette-returns/

Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine

Lafayette Bicentennial-Baltimore

Lafayette spent only one day in Delaware in 1824, and we will celebrate his time in the "First State" exactly 200 years after he did.

9:00am to Noon at Hagley Library's Copeland Room 

298 Buck Road, Wilmington, DE 19807

Start your day with a sit-down breakfast at this important Delaware landmark. Your special breakfast will be accompanied by a brief talk from Lafayette himself and the Library Director: Erik Rau, PHD

Authentic documents will be on display.

Note: Victor du Pont was Lafayette’s Aide-de-Camp during the French Revolution. Victor’s home can be seen through the trees on-site.

Lafayette will be there from 9:00am to 11:00am

$55 includes museum tours.

Free Parking. Limited Seating.

Register by clicking HERE

11:30am to 4:00pm at Robinson House (Circa 1730)

1 Naamans Rd, Claymont, DE

After breakfast, head over to Robinson House where Lafayette crossed the state line with a house and summer kitchen tour. View the Lafayette exhibit. Enjoy family fun activities of storytelling, children’s old-fashioned games and crafts, and wool spinning. Experience an American Revolutionary War encampment through the eyes of Lafayette.

Lafayette arrives at 12:00pm

Admission: Free. On-site parking.

12:00pm to 3:00pm Brandywine Village (Circa 1640)

1883 Superfine Lane, Wilmington, DE

Brandywine Village, the 1742 site of the first flour mill along the Brandywine will unveil a Lafayette trail marker at 1:45 pm with great fanfare. Lafayette visited the site in 1777, 1803, and 1824 during his Farewell Tour. The day will include the Lafayette educational exhibit, guest speakers, colonial reenactors, choir performances, a color guard, and entertainment.

Lafayette arrives at 1:15pm

Admission: Free. On-site and street parking.

10:00am to 4:00pm Old Town Hall (Est. 1798)

504 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE 

Your next tour stop is in the city, at the site of the hub of political and social activities in the 1800’s. Lafayette was honored at Old Town Hall in 1824 with many toasts from local dignitaries and freemasons. Here you will experience English country dancing, French treats, colonial children’s games, a selfie station, the Lafayette traveling exhibit, and a performance at 3 pm by Williamsburg’s James Armistead Lafayette.

Lafayette arrives at 2:30pm

Admission: Free. Street parking.

Thank you and Vive Lafayette !!!.

Lori Porter - Lafayette in Delaware Committee Chair

Chuck Schwam- Executive Director & National Chair of the Bicentennial Committee

Lafayette at the home of

The Society of Cincinnati

Larz Anderson House, Washington, D.C.

Sunday, October 13, 2024

October 13th, 2024, at 5:30pm

On October 12, 1824, the marquis de Lafayette arrived in the capital city of Washington for the first time during his thirteen-month farewell tour of the United States. Upon his arrival to the nation’s capital, he was paraded into the city, welcomed by the mayor in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, and feted with fireworks throughout the city.

Join us for a special reception commemorating Lafayette’s arrival in Washington (200 years and one day later) on October 13th, 2024, at 5:30pm

Guests can greet Lafayette, view the current exhibition, Fete Lafayette: A French Hero’s Tour of the American Republic, and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and refreshments while toasting the Frenchman’s momentous first visit to the federal city.

More information about the current and spectacular exhibition on display can be found: HERE

You can register for this very special evening by clicking: HERE

Please join us on October 13th, 2024, at 5:30pm

Larz Anderson House

2118 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

There is a parking garage (five-minute walk) near the Dupont Circle Metro at Colonial Parking, 1919 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

Thank you and vive Lafayette !!!

Chuck Schwam- Executive Director & National Chair of the Bicentennial Committee

Lafayette at Arlington National Cemetery



October 14, 2024 

October 14, 2024 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 p.m.

Free and Open to the Public

Advance registration is requested

Celebrate the bicentennial of the Marquis de Lafayette's 1824 visit to Arlington House. Presentation by Elizabeth Reese, author of "Marquis de Lafayette Returns: A Tour of America's National Capitol Region." View informative displays about Lafayette. Meet and talk to "Lafayette" himself, interpreted by the American History Theatre's Ben Goldman. Sponsored by the Arlington House Foundation, The American Friends of Lafayette and the Arlington Historical Society. Hosted by the National Park Service.

Delight in meeting Lafayette, learning about his legacy all the while being at the hallowed ground of Arlington National Cemetary and enjoying one of the most spectacular views of Washington D.C.

Lafayette at Arlington House

The Robert E. Lee Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery

October 14, 2024 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 p.m.

Advance registration preferred

Day-of-event registration accepted.

Registration required to access parking lot nearby Arlington House.

You can register by clicking: HERE

Event Access/In-cemetery Parking: Attendees traveling by private automobile enter Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), drive to a parking lot nearby Arlington House and walk to the nearby event site.

• After arriving at the Memorial Avenue Visitors Services Checkpoint, tell the Visitors Center representative you are attending the "Lafayette Event." 
• When directed, proceed to the nearby Security Checkpoint. There, an ANC Security Officer will check the vehicle operator's Drivers License and an event representative will confirm to the ANC Security Officer the event registration status of the vehicle operator. The event representative will be on site from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. 
• When directed, proceed west on Memorial Drive, then right to Schley Drive, then left to Sherman Drive, then right to Humphreys Drive. 
• Park in the designated area adjacent to the Old Administration Building and walk to Arlington House (estimated duration: four minutes).

Event Access/Public Parking: Attendees traveling by public transportation or for-hire automobile enter Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) via the Visitors Center and walk to Arlington House via Schley Drive and Custis Walk (estimated duration: 15 minutes).

Lafayette at Tudor Place

Washington, D.C.

October 15, 2024

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

On October 14, 1824, as part of his Farewell Tour of the United States, General Lafayette paid a visit to Martha and Thomas Peter at Tudor Place. The visit was a much-awaited reunion between Lafayette and Martha Peter, a granddaughter of Martha Washington.

Please join us 200 years (and one day later) on October 15th, 2024, at 6pm as we celebrate one of Washington D.C's most historic events.

At Tudor Place, you will enjoy...

• Many toasts to Lafayette
• Delicious food
• The exact house Lafayette visited
• The lovely gardens
• A performance by The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps
• And of course, you will meet and greet with General Lafayette himself!!!!

Tudor Place Historic House & Gardens is located in the heart of Georgetown

644 31st Street, NW in Washington, DC

Parking details forthcoming.

You can register for this once in a lifetime event by clicking: HERE

Thank you and vive Lafayette !!

The Lafayette in Washington, D.C. Bicentennial Committee and...

Lafayette in Historic

Alexandria, Virginia

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Lafayette visited Alexandria, Virginia on October 16th,1824.

We will be celebrating this event exactly 200 years later AND we will be visiting the exact house that Lafayette stayed in.

Here is the order of the day (Wed, 10/16 2024):

Everything starts at the "Lafayette House" located at 

301 Saint Asaph Street, Alexandria, Virginia

• 5:00pm Lafayette House marker dedication 
• 5:30pm Reception
• 6:30pm Remarks by General Lafayette himself

This is a free event, but registration is required. This event is limited to 30 AFL members. You can register for this event by clicking: HERE

Then at 7:00pm we will walk over to the Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street in Alexandria, Virginia. At the Lyceum we will be given a book talk by Elizabeth Reese.

• 7:30pm Join Elizabeth Reese, author of Marquis de Lafayette Returns, A Tour of America’s National Capital Region for a lecture followed by a reception and book signing. Walk in the footsteps of the Marquis de Lafayette as he makes a final trip through the young United States. Against the backdrop of a tumultuous election, a beloved hero of the American Revolution returned to America for the first time in forty years. Elizabeth Reese traces Lafayette's route throughout the National Capital Region, highlighting the locations and people the famous General held closest to his heart.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by clicking: HERE

Lafayette Dinner

Gadsby's Tavern

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Lafayette Dinner at Gadsby's Tavern

138 N. Royal Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314

10/17/2024 at 6:30pm

Enjoy a four course-dinner with French wine pairings

as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Lafayette's dinner

in the very same room where he was welcomed in October of 1824!

Our "Lafayette" will be in attendance, offering toasts, reminiscences, and an

opportunity to have your photo taken with him as an honored guest.

The evening's program will highlight Lafayette's role in advancing liberty in the

United States and beyond.

This very special dinner is sponsored by the Office of Historic Alexandria and the

American Friends of Lafayette.

You can register for this event by clicking: HERE

Learn more about this historic site by clicking: HERE

Thank you and Vive Lafayette!

Lafayette at Mount Vernon

October 17, 2024

October 17th, 1824

When I took on this Lafayette Bicentennial project, several dates immediately had me very excited. Of course, August 16th, October 19th and others, but the date that fascinated me most is October 17th, 1824, which is the day Lafayette arrived at Mount Vernon for the first time in 40 years.

Imagine how Lafayette felt walking down the hill towards the tomb of his friend and mentor, General George Washington. Imagine the flood of memories that Lafayette experienced during this walk. Imagine the emotions Lafayette felt as he stepped into Washington's tomb.  

There is no need to imagine because you can be there exactly 200 years to the day on October 17th, 2024.

Here's the itinerary of this VERY special day ($25pp)....

• 9:00am: Lady Washington Breakfast at the Mount Vernon Inn. This breakfast will be served in the lovely and sunny Verandah Room
• 10:15am: Reenactment at Old Tomb.  Lafayette and other Interpreters will be on hand to depict what happened that day. Several Franco-American VIP's will be on hand as well.
• 11:15am: Reassemble at the New Tomb for a Wreath Laying Ceremony

Then, for those of you that can't join us in the morning, we are doing it again in the afternoon ($25pp)....

• 12:00pm (noon): Gristmill Buffet Luncheon at Mount Vernon Inn. This lunch will also be in the lovely and sunny Verandah Room
• 1:45pm: Reenactment at Old Tomb.  Lafayette and other Interpreters will be on hand to depict what happened that day. Several Franco-American VIP's will be on hand as well
• 2:45pm: Reassemble at the New Tomb for a Wreath Laying Ceremony

To register for the morning session with breakfast, please click: HERE

To register for the afternoon session with lunch, please click: HERE

If you would like to attend both breakfast & lunch, you can register: HERE

This is going to be a VERY special day.

Attendance requires an entry ticket onto the grounds of Mount Vernon which can be purchased at the Texas Gate entrance.

Thank you and vive Lafayette !!!

Chuck Schwam- Executive Director & National Chair of the Bicentennial Committee

Lafayette at Yorktown

October 18-19, 2024

From The American Friends of Lafayette

"Not only will we be celebrating the 243rd anniversary of the victory at Yorktown (and Lafayette's presence there), but also the Bicentennial of Lafayette's return there on October 19, 1824.

Even better is the fact that the American Friends of Lafayette are the official hosts of this year's celebrations.  Lafayette will be front and center Lafayette will be everywhere.  The dinner is French.  The parade and ceremonies will be Franco-American. Everything will be all about Lafayette! We expect the public events to attract thousands of attendees."

Friday, October 18, 2024

*** NOTE *** Gloucester, Virginia, a short drive from Yorktown Riverwalk

1:30PM - 2:00PM: everyone is welcome to attend the dedication ceremony of the new Memorial to French Soldiers, (see above at the start of this Special Edition Bulletin), with ample time to attend the Lafayette celebrations:

Yorktown, Virginia

Afternoon Events

2:45 PM – 4:00 PM

Lafayette Arrives by Boat in Yorktown

Free and open to the public

Yorktown Waterfront

331 Water Street, Yorktown, VA 23690

Lafayette arrives by boat in Yorktown (just as he did 200 years before). There will be a grand celebration with music and speeches as Lafayette disembarks at the Yorktown Boat Docks. Representatives from the French Military and local government are confirmed. Free to the public.

Length of Program: 75 minutes

___________________________________________________________________



Saturday, October 19, 2024

Yorktown, Virginia

Morning Events

Free and open to the public

8:00 AM (sharp)

Meet at Surrender Field Parking Lot to line up for motorcade

Coordinates: 37.2079, -76.505 | near 100 Surrender Road, Yorktown, VA 23690

Escorted motorcade to the following locations:

8:25 AM

Commemorative Ceremony at the French Cemetery, Yorktown Battlefield sponsored by The American Friends of Lafayette and The Friends of Rochambeau

A wreath from Le Souvenir Français will be presented by The American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Inc. to honor the 50 French soldiers and sailors said to rest in a mass grave under a white cross. We are deeply grateful to the volunteers from The American Friends of Lafayette for embellishing the French Cemetery every year prior to the ceremony.

Length of Program: 20 minutes

9:10 AM

Commemorative Ceremony at the French Memorial honoring the French Soldiers and Sailors who died at Yorktown for the American Independence, by the French Military contingent at NATO, Norfolk, in the presence of the French Defense Attaché at the French Embassy to the United States.

A wreath from Le Souvenir Français will be presented by The American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Inc.

Length of Program: 20 minutes

10:30 AM

Yorktown Day Parade, Main Street – Parade begins with French Air Force flyover.

Length of Program: 40 minutes

11:15 AM

Patriotic Exercises and Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Monument to Alliance

703 Main Street, Yorktown, VA 23690

Length of Program: 45-60 minutes

Afternoon Events

3:00 PM

Free and open to the public

Concert – Williamsburg Youth Orchestra lead by French Conductor Dr. David

Grandis.

Near 410 Main Street, Yorktown, VA 23690

Dr. David Grandis will lead the Williamsburg Youth Orchestra in musical selections to celebrate both French and American music

__________________________________________________________________

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

Morning Events

Free and open to the public

10:45 AM

Wreath Laying at the memorial honoring French soldiers who died in the hospitals

of Williamsburg during the 1781 Yorktown Campaign.

Sir Christopher Wren Building - 111 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185

Length of Program: 15 minutes

11:00 AM

College of William and Mary Commemoration of Lafayette’s Honorary Degree

Sir Christopher Wren Building - 111 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185

This program will mark the “homecoming” of an illustrious alumnus in celebration of

the 200th anniversary of the Marquis receiving an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

· Welcome by President of the College of William and Mary Katherine Rowe or

Representative

· Reading of the Honorary Degree of Law (in Latin and English)

· Remarks by General Lafayette (Mark Schneider)

· Ringing of the Wren Building Bell

Length of Program: 20 minutes

Afternoon Events

ALL free and open to the public

1:00 PM

Community Parade and Welcome Ceremony

Capitol Circle to Market Square - Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area

The procession will begin at the Capitol Circle. General Lafayette will ride in the Wythe Carriage, accompanied by the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums and VA State Garrison Regiment, and others to be announced.

The Market Square program, staged on the Colonial Courthouse steps and

surrounding environs, will incorporate salutes from the 18th, 19th, and 21st century.

· Welcome by current City and Community Officials including Mayor of

Williamsburg

· Musical selections (2 french, 1 patriotic) by the Walsingham Academy Madrigals

· Toasts to Lafayette - as originally presented at the Raleigh Tavern in 1824.

· Lafayette Introduction by American Friends of Lafayette representative

· Remarks by Lafayette

· A 1781 “flashback” with 18th century Williamsburg residents associated with

Lafayette

· A cannon salute to the nations of France & The United States of America

Length of Program: 45 minutes [15 minutes (procession) + 30 minutes (ceremony)]

3:00 PM

Dramatic Performance - Il Était Une Fois - Once Upon a Time

Kimball Theatre - 428 W Duke of Gloucester St, Williamsburg, VA 23185

In this dramatic presentation, the Marquis de Lafayette, portrayed by Mark

Schneider, returns to Williamsburg on October 20, 1824, and reflects upon the

people and events that he experienced in his life.

Length of Program: 60 minutes

4:30 PM

Behind the Scenes at the College of William and Mary Swem Library

400 Landrum Dr, Williamsburg, VA 23186

The College of William and Mary has arranged to have Lafayette’s Honorary

Diploma document returned from France to be temporarily displayed at the Swem Library. Special Collections staff will offer a private opportunity to view the diploma and other Lafayette objects from their collection.

Length of Program: 30 minutes

Lafayette Sunset Cruise in Norfolk, VA



Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Sail past 42 Fountains of Light illuminated in honor of Lafayette

replicating the welcome bonfires given to Lafayette in 1824

Ahoy there! Registration is open for the Elizabeth River Sunset Cruise commemorating Lafayette’s October 22, 1824, Norfolk Visit.

• WHEN: Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
• TIME: Boarding begins at 5:00 pm. The American Rover will depart promptly at 5:30 pm and return to the dock at 7:30 pm.
• WHERE: Waterside Dock, Norfolk (333 Waterside, Norfolk, VA). Click HERE for the map of the schooner’s berth (location).
• WHAT: Join us for a two-hour narrated cruise on the Elizabeth River. We will see the 42 Fountains of Light illuminated in honor of Lafayette – replicating the welcome bonfires given to Lafayette in 1824.  Lafayette and the first American Black spy, James Fayette, will join us on the cruise and survey changes to the coastline since 1824. Period attire is welcome but not required. Hors d'oeuvres with cash bar & soft drinks will be offered. Inside and outside seating available. The three-masted gaff-rigged schooner is operated by Rover Marine, Inc., and is in immaculate condition. A former Commander of the 44-gun frigate Constitution will welcome guests onboard.
• COST: $ 55 per ticket. Click HERE to register for this fabulous cruise.
• PARKING: Nearby (paid) parking is available at the City of Norfolk parking lot (click HERE) on Atlantic St. (immediately behind the Norfolk Waterside Marriott), a short walk to the schooner’s berth.

...and Lafayette will be onboard!!!

Don't miss out !!!

Limited space: first come, first served.

You can register for this sunset sail by clicking: HERE

Lafayette at Fort Monroe, VA.



October 24, 2024

You can register for this special event by clicking: HERE

Thank you and Vive Lafayette !!!.

Robert Kelly- Vice President & National Vice-chair Bicentennial Committee

Chuck Schwam- Executive Director & National Chair of the Bicentennial Committee

Lafayette in Portsmouth, VA

October 25, 2024

LaFayette- Arrives at City Park

The Fort Nelson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will rededicate the centennial monument to mark the passing of another 100 years at 9am. The marker was originally placed at City Park in October 1924 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the return of the Marquis de Lafayette to Portsmouth in 1924. We are now recognizing the 200th anniversary. Then, at 10 am, Gen. LaFayette arrives to view Virginia Youth Regiment’s (YVR) reenactment of the Battle at Scotts Creek.

LaFayette- Arrives at City Park October 25 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm FREE

Cpl J M Williams Ave Portsmouth, VA 23701

Lafayette in Portsmouth, VA

October 25, 2024



Progressive Dinner

Join us for a unique and memorable evening of living history!

Williamsburg’s Mark Schneider will interpret the Guest of Honor (Lafayette !!!) throughout the evening, providing a truly immersive experience. In the Company of Lafayette, Enjoy Charcuterie, an Original Biere Blanche, French Cuisine, and Exquisite French Desserts hosted in Three Historic Portsmouth Homes! All within walking distance....

1. Hors d’ oeuvres and “Heart of Lafayette” Biere Blanche will be served at the Bain Home, which sits on the foundation of Cornwallis’ headquarters, where double-agent James Fayette spied for Lafayette (326 North Street)
2. Beef Bourguignon over Creamy Potatoes will be served at the home of the great-grandson and namesake of Revolutionary War Hero Joseph Grice (318 North Street).
3. Exquisite French Desserts will be served in the Garden at the Hill House Museum. Dr. William Collins and John Thompson, patriarchs of the Hill Family, played significant roles in Portsmouth’s 1824 celebration of Lafayette’s Visit. Guests may observe the tea set which served the General and view unusual décor unique to the period (221 North Street)

Limited Tickets - $100 Proceeds will help fund the painting of a large mural depicting our 2024 Portsmouth celebration with Lafayette.

You can register for this unique event by clicking here:  Progressive Dinner (historyalive.info)

Thank you and Vive Lafayette !!!.

Karen Washburn- Portsmouth, Virginia Committee Chair

Chuck Schwam- Executive Director & National Chair of the Bicentennial Committee

Lafayette in Norfolk, VA

October 26, 2024

Registration is open for Norfolk’s Bicentennial Ball

·  WHEN: Saturday, October 26, 2024.

·  TIME: Opens at 6:30 pm. Ends at 10 pm.

·  WHERE: Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, 7001 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA.  Click HERE for the map of the location.

·  WHAT: A period-attired Ball – but modern business/cocktail dress is also welcome. The Bicentennial Ball commemorates Norfolk’s farewell to the Nation’s Guest in 1824. Lafayette will be introduced to the ladies present, as he was in 1824. After a plated dinner, the ballroom floor will be open for period dancing, called by Jenna Simpson. The Itinerant Band will provide period-appropriate music. The ballroom overlooks the Lafayette River!

·  COST: $60 per ticket.

·  PARKING: Free parking is available at the club.

...and General Lafayette will be the Guest of Honor!!!

You can find more information and registration details by clicking HERE

Limited space: first come, first served.

Thank you and Vive Lafayette !!

INAL