September 15, 2003

Plans for the annual Constitution Day Program at the Eisenhower Center have been announced.  The event will be held outdoors on the steps of the Library building, Friday, September 19 at 9:30 a.m.  Fifth graders from St. Andrew’s and Garfield Upper Elementary, along with their teachers, will interact with George Washington, portrayed by former state senator Ben Vidricksen, and members of the Kansas and Missouri Chapters of the Sons of the American Revolution. Vidricksen and the SAR will give students the opportunity to ask questions that will be answered just as George Washington and soldiers of the Revolutionary War may have responded.

 Abilene Mayor Lynn Peterson, Eisenhower Foundation president Stew Etherington, Eisenhower Library director Dan Holt, and Eisenhower Library education specialist Kim Barbieri will address the students who will then “sign” the Constitution in the courtyard of the Library after singing a patriotic selection from the balcony.  “Of special interest this year is the kick off of “The People’s Vote,” commented Ms. Barbieri. “President Bush announced this national initiative on Wednesday, and we encourage Americans of every age to participate by voting from now until December 1, for the top ten documents in American history.  To learn more about the documents and to vote online go to www.ourdocuments.gov or www.usnews.com/vote.  A mail-in printer-ready paper ballot is also available at these sites.  I think these documents are important as part of our heritage and to remind all Americans of our nation’s struggles, our triumphs and failures, and most of all our hopes and dreams of a better future.  They are truly the testament of who we are as a people, what we believe in, and the democratic principles we embrace.”