Garfield National Historic Site to host Presidents Day event

Feb. 5—James A. Garfield National Historic Site recently announced that its annual Presidents Day event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 19.

Presidents Day visitors to the Garfield National Historic Site, 8095 Mentor Ave. in Mentor, will be able to tour the Garfield home, visitor center museum and grounds free of charge, according to a news release.

The event will be hosted by first lady Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, portrayed by a historical reenactor. Visitors will also be able to meet and talk with President and Mrs. George Washington, President and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, and President and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, all portrayed by historical reenactors.

Presidential-themed games and activities also will be available in the visitor center.

The historic site is a unit of the National Park Service that commemorates the life, career, and legacy of James Abram Garfield, the 20th president of the United States.

Garfield lived in Mentor when elected to the presidency in 1880, running the nation's first-ever "front porch" campaign from his home on today's Mentor Avenue. Garfield was shot by a mentally ill assassin on July 2, 1881, and died 80 days later on Sept. 19.

His widow, Lucretia, eventually added a Memorial Library to the Mentor home that is now considered the birthplace of presidential libraries.

"Presidents Day is one of our favorite holidays and busiest days here at James A. Garfield National Historic Site," Site Manager Todd Arrington stated in the release. "What better place is there to spend Presidents Day than a presidential home? We invite everyone to stop by to learn about our chief executives and have a little fun here on Presidents Day."