On Wednesday, February 12th, preschoolers from Gettysburg’s Growing Place, St. James Early Learning Center, and Christ Lutheran Preschool, will gather next to the David Wills house on Lincoln Square to serenade the “Return Visit” statue with a rendition of “Happy Birthday,” in honor of the 211th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth.
The “Return Visit” statue was commissioned by the Fellowship in 1991 and sculpted by J. Seward Johnson to commemorate Lincoln’s November, 1863 visit to Gettysburg. The event, sponsored by the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, will take place at 10 a.m. (weather-permitting), and will also include a special visit from the 16th president himself, as portrayed by a local Lincoln presenter.
The Fellowship will also be treating the children to celebratory cupcakes at the students’ respective preschools following the ceremony. This event is open to the public, and the Fellowship eagerly welcomes all to join in this special celebration!
Since 1938, the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania has commemorated Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address with a ceremony in Soldiers’ National Cemetery every November 19th. As an organization dedicated to remembering Lincoln’s address, the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania commits itself to honoring our nation’s founding principles of liberty and equality for all of which the 16th president so eloquently spoke by helping to educate the public about Lincoln’s legacy and to encourage reflection upon the enduring meaning of Lincoln’s address to both past and present Americans.
In addition to the annual November 19th ceremonies, the Fellowship also co-sponsors the “100 Nights of ‘Taps'” program in Soldiers’ National Cemetery each summer, supports Gettysburg National Military Park’s educational “Lincoln Traveling Trunk” program, and maintains the “Return Visit” statue on the square.
For more information about the event, please contact
lincolnfellowshipofpa@gmail.com or Ashley Whitehead Luskey at (339) 234-0265.
More information on the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania can be found at
http://lincolnfellowship.wildapricot.org