Special Feature
In a day of thanksgiving and grand ceremony, the American Village in Montevallo celebrated the 288th birthday of the Father of our Country, George Washington, alongside their own 20th Anniversary. An estimated 900 visitors attended activities throughout the day, including a Service of Thanksgiving in the Colonial Chapel, an Anniversary Convocation in a replica of the East Room of the White House, and lunch on campus.
Ground was broken for the construction of a replica Independence Hall, and a new campaign, Liberty 250, was launched to raise the replica of Independence Hall as “a touchstone experience for 250,000 students, teachers and other visitors each year; to expand distinctive and inspiring educational programs for students and teachers in pre-K through grade 12, as a foundation for building good citizens and leaders; and to advocate the importance of teaching the foundations of American history and constitutional self-government through United States history, civics, economics and government as an indispensable part of an American education for students.”
In addition to anniversary activities, visitors enjoyed birthday cake with George Washington, marched with the Continental Army, met patriots of the past such as Phillis Wheatley and Thomas Jefferson, and experienced the National Veterans Shrine, Oval Office, Concord Bridge and other highlights of the American Village’s 188-acre campus. Tom Walker, Founder and President of the American Village, says, “I give thanks for what I, by faith, believe has been a calling to so many individuals – to build and support this place – this American Village, in its own way to be a ‘city set upon a hill,’ to teach and inspire young generations of Americans to know their own history as a ‘goodly heritage,’ and to cherish our Creator-given endowments of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
