The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum will offer several family-oriented activities and programs throughout Presidents’ Day week, including its signature Presidents’ Day Family Festival on February 20th featuring presidential storytelling, activities and performances, and a Celebrate! family series presentation of Black History Hall of Fame by Bright Star Touring Theatre on February 22nd. Family-friendly Highlights Tours will be offered throughout the week.
This year, the Family Festival will also host the release of a commemorative stamp from the United States Postal Service in honor of President Kennedy’s 100th birthday.
$2 Off Museum Admission with Special Buzzword
In celebration of Presidents’ Day week, the JFK Library will reveal a special buzzword on Facebook and Twitter. Visitors who provide the buzzword upon admission during the week of February 20-24, 2017 will receive $2 off admission prices.
Presidents’ Day Family Festival
Monday, February 20, 2017
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Family Festival will kick off at 10:00 a.m. with a special dedication ceremony, presented in partnership with the United States Postal Service, to unveil the First-Day-of-Issue John Fitzgerald Kennedy Commemorative Forever Stamp in honor of the John F. Kennedy Centennial. The stamp features a 1960 photograph by Ted Spiegel of Kennedy campaigning for president in Seattle, Washington. The artwork accompanying the stamp, showing Kennedy in a reflective pose, is a 1970 oil painting by Aaron Shikler (courtesy of the White House / White House Historical Association). The stamp will be exclusively available at the Family Festival and sold nationwide in Post Offices on February 21. The stamp dedication is free and open to the public.
http://www.jfklibrary.org/About-Us/News-and-Press/Press-Releases/2017-Centennial-Stamp-Ceremony.aspx
The main activities for the Family Festival begin at 10:30 a.m. Actors portraying the Mount Rushmore presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt – will be on site to share stories and engage visitors in conversation. Festival goers can try out hands-on history crafts including the design of postage stamps and White House china, the building of space capsules, and the making of tricorn or stovepipe hats to wear to meet our guest presidents. Participants can celebrate the centennial of President Kennedy’s birth by designing maritime scrimshaw or making origami sailboats and their own Kennedy campaign hat. The Festival will close with a special free concert by the Harvard Din & Tonics, who will perform Kennedy campaign songs and popular music from the last hundred years in honor of the Centennial Celebration.
Visit www.jfklibrary.org/presidentsday for a detailed schedule of the Family Festival offerings.
Special Festival activities are free with paid admission and visitors ages 17 and under are admitted free of charge on Festival day. Regular admission fees apply to all other visitors. The opening Stamp Dedication ceremony and closing Harvard Din & Tonics concert are free for all. The Family Festival is especially appropriate for ages 5 and up.
Celebrate! with Bright Star Touring Theatre – Black History Hall of Fame
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
On Wednesday, February 22, Bright Star Touring Theatre will present this fast-paced performance Black History Hall of Fame portraying over a dozen groundbreakers and hall-of-famers who contributed to shaping the nation’s past, present, and future in honor of African American Heritage Month. Young audience volunteers help the cast bring this show to life.
The Celebrate! series, appropriate for family audiences and children ages 5 and up, highlights America’s rich cultural diversity through the arts. This program reflects President and Mrs. Kennedy’s concern for and support of the arts and culture as important components of a democratic society. In order to optimize your comfort and enjoyment, reservations are required for all visitors to this free program. Make reservations by visiting www.jfklibrary.org/celebrate
or calling 617-514-1644 and leaving a message. Children are seated on the floor with their caretakers. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
