When was the last time you celebrated Presidents Day?
No, not “when was the last time you had the 3rd Monday in February off of work?” But, when was the last time you spent the day honoring and celebrating the 44 men who have held the title “President of the United States of America”? Here in Washington DC (where there are more presidential statues, memorials, and grave sites than anywhere in the US ) there are no excuses for not celebrating the true meaning of this day. Luckily for you, we’ve done all the planning. All you have to do is show up. Show up to what?
I thought you’d never ask.
Starting at 9:00 am on Monday, Feb 17th (Presidents Day) all of the Old Cityzens who are looking to celebrate Presidents Day are going to meet at Old City CrossFit. From there we will embark on a trek that will take us to see all (not all, but most) of the Presidential statues, monuments, memorials, and grave sites in the greater DC area. Each time we stop to honor a President someone from the group will be responsible for telling the group some interesting facts about the President. Here’s the itinerary:
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9:00 am – Meet at Old City CrossFit and begin our journey to the White House and the Andrew Jackson Memorial Statue.
9:45 am – Meet at the south-side of the Andrew Jackson Statue (the side closest to the White House)
- 5 Mins – Interesting facts about Andrew Jackson given by Dave and Delaine Plakorus.
- 5 Mins – Walk to the north-side of the White House.
- 5 Mins – Interesting facts about Barack Obama and the White House given by Lindsey.
10:00 am – Depart the White House for the Lincoln Memorial
10:30 am – Meet at the “I Have a Dream” speech engraving half way up the Lincoln Memorial steps.
- 5 mins of Interesting facts about Abraham Lincoln given by Glenn Lockhart
- 10 mins to tour Lincoln Memorial
10:45 am – Depart the Lincoln Memorial for Arlington National Cemetery.
11:15 am – Meet in front of the Visitors Center at Arlington National Cemetery
- 10 mins – Walk to Taft’s gravesite
- 5 mins – Interesting facts about Taft given by Virginia Morford
- 10 mins – Walk to Kennedy’s gravesite
- 5 mins – Interesting facts about Kennedy
11:45 am – Depart Arlington National Cemetery for the LBJ Memorial Grove
12:15 pm – Meet at the LBJ Memorial Grove
- 5 mins – Interesting facts about LBJ given by Braeden Mayer
12:20 pm – Depart LBJ Grove for the Thomas Jefferson Memorial
12:45 pm – Meet in the rotunda of the Jefferson Memorial
- 5 mins – Interesting facts about Thomas Jefferson given by Meg and Mark
- 10 mins – Touring Jefferson Memorial
1:00 pm – Depart for the FDR Memorial
1:15 pm – Meet at the wheelchair statue of FDR near the FDR memorial visitor’s center.
- 5 mins – Interesting facts about FDR given by Justin and Kara
- 10 mins – Touring of the FDR memorial
1:30 pm – Depart for the Washington Monument
2:00 pm – Meet on the east side of the Washington Monument at the Visitor’s Center/Bathrooms near 15th St NW
- 5 mins – Interesting facts about George Washington – Matthew Freeman
2:05 pm – Depart Washington Monument for the U.S. Capitol.
2:30 pm – Meet at the James Garfield Statue
- 5 mins – Interesting facts about James Garfield given by Jennifer Edwards
- 5 mins – Walk to the Ulysses S. Grant Statute
- 5 mins – Interesting facts about Ulysses S. Grant – Jim Emery
2:45 pm – Depart for Big Board to celebrate!!!
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The pace for this day is deliberately slow. Most people should be able to walk this. Of course, you’re more than welcome to jog, run, or even bike! You don’t have to go to every stop. You can meet us in the middle and you can leave us at anytime. The whole idea behind this is that we get outside, we enjoy the sunshine, we see the sights, we learn a little bit about some of our Presidents, and we have a lot of fun. Bring your kids, your friends, your family, your pets, your neighbors, and even your neighbor’s kids (with permission, of course). Most importantly, bring yourself!
If you want to be responsible for providing “interesting facts” for a president listed above, email [email protected] and let us know which president you want to provide 5 minutes of interesting facts about. First come first serve!
Furthermore, what Presidents Day Charity Fun Day would be complete without a celebratory t-shirt?
These shirts will be given away to anyone who makes a donation of $30 or more to the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. Our goal is to raise enough money to purchase indoor and outdoor play equipment for the elementary school and to provide the Secondary school with much needed workout equipment additions and improvements.
Make a $30 donation, get an awesome shirt! What could be easier? If you would like one you can pick one up at the gym, or email [email protected] with your size and we’ll set one aside for you. Again, the donations for the shirts will go directly towards improving the elementary and secondary schools on the Gallaudet campus, so help us help them and get yourself a snazzy looking Presidents Day shirt!
NOTE: Not in the greater DC area but still want a shirt? Email us at [email protected] and we’ll mail you one for a minimum donation of $35.
Really looking forward to seeing you guys out and about on Presidents Day! Get excited!
