April 27 is the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Ulysses S. Grant. We are looking at some of the Bicentennial celebrations that will be occurring in different states this month honoring and examining the life of the Union Army commander and the United States president. Today we look at the activities in his native state of Ohio.
Most of my readers know that when Grant was born on April 27, 1822 his name was Hiram Ulysses Grant. An error by West Point renamed the incoming student! The Columbus Dispatch highlights some of the events from his hometown beginning next weekend memorializing him:
Bicentennial birthday week events begin from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 23-24 at the Grant Birthplace, 1551 Ohio 232, Point Pleasant, Ohio. The site will host Civil War reenactors and a wandering storyteller who will interact with visitors both days. On April 23, the site will also host an historic participatory dance demonstration by the Forget-Me-Not Dance Company at 3 p.m. and a cake-cutting ceremony with speeches at 4 p.m.
The Birthplace will also host a reading of a Grant Bicentennial Proclamation at 2 p.m. April 27, with tours and light refreshments.
• Downtown New Richmond, just a few miles from the Grant Birthplace, will host its own Grant Birthday celebration from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 23.
Riverside restaurants, shops and community organizations in New Richmond will offer specials and activities and a shuttle bus will run every 30 minutes to the Grant Birthplace and back.
• A Grant Birthday bicentennial dinner will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. April 27 at Norlyn Manor, 4440 State Route 132 in Batavia. The dinner will be prepared by a team of all-star Clermont County chefs and will include period music and speeches and reenactments by local actors. Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.discoverclermont.com/grant.
• On April 28 at 6 p.m., the Georgetown United Methodist Church, 217 S. Main St., will host a presentation “Women in Grant’s Life.”
• The time Grant’s family spent in nearby Bethel will be recalled at 6 p.m. April 29 at Living the Word Church, 402 W. Plane St. in Bethel. Historian Curt Fields will portray Grant and period music will be provided by Steve and Lisa Ball.
• The big bicentennial birthday bash will take place in Georgetown throughout the day of April 30, ending with a light show and fireworks finale on Courthouse Square.
Events begin at 10 a.m. at Gaslight Theater, 110 E. State St., with Admiral Sean Buck, superintendent of the US Naval Academy, interviewing “General US Grant” as portrayed by long-time Grant reenactor Curt Fields.
At noon, birthday cake will be served at the Georgetown United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 217 S. Main St. Lunch will also be available for purchase.
At 2 p.m., Gaslight Theater will host “A Conversation with US Grant” between Charles Calhoon, author of “The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant,” and Fields portraying Grant.
At 7 p.m., the 122nd Army National Guard Band will perform on Courthouse Square, or at Gaslight Theater in case of rain.
The light show and fireworks begin at 9 p.m.
Admission to all the day’s events is free. The Grant Boyhood Home (www.usgrantboyhoodhome.com, 219 E. Grant Ave., Georgetown) and the Grant Schoolhouse, 508 S. Water St., will also offer free admission during the day.
The www.discoverclermont.com/grant site also includes information about the Land of Grant Trail, featuring 17 visitor sites with connections to Grant in Clermont and Brown counties. A mobile trail-guide download includes information about each stop and allows visitors to register to receive a special Grant bicentennial commemorative medallion.
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