In the Dutchess County Spotlight
Celebrate President’s Day at the FDR Presidential Library!
Every year, on the third Monday in February, Americans celebrate Presidents’ Day. This national holiday was created in order to honor the memories of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, two of our country’s most influential presidents. Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is February 12th, and George Washington’s birthday is February 22nd. Locally, Dutchess County residents and tourists alike remember Franklin D. Roosevelt as well, whose birthday falls on January 30th.
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum will host an afternoon of President's Day Weekend events showcasing several of FDR's many hobbies on Saturday, February 13, 2010. These events are free and open to the general public, with seating first-come, first-served.
The programs begin at 1:00pm in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library with a movie, The President's Mystery (1936), based on a plotline developed by President Roosevelt himself. The films tells the story of a successful and influential lawyer who is engaged by his friends to shoot down a bill in the U.S. Senate which results in scores of small businesses having to close down. When he witnesses the results of his actions in a small frontier town, he decides to sell his stocks, divorce his unfaithful wife, change his identity and use his money to help his newfound love. Things go wrong, however, when he is accused of his wife's murder and his disguise is blown.
Following the film, at 2:30pm, visitors can view a selection of presidential autographs from the Roosevelt Library archives - on display only once a year. These documents bear the signatures of many of our nation's Presidents including: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Martin Van Buren, Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy. Twenty-eight signatures will be on display -- most of which were collected by FDR himself. There will be a video presentation and family-friendly activities relating to presidential history.
For information about the FDR Presidential Library call (800) 337-8474 or visit www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu.
