Drum roll, please!
We’re been brainstorming (and having a lot of fun, frankly) about the events we want to bring your way in 2024, and we’re excited to share them with you. In addition to our staples — the Fireside Chat, Presidents Day activities, Annual Waffle Breakfast, the Warren G. Harding Symposium, and Holidays with the Hardings — we’ve got all kinds of fun stuff on the agenda! Here is our 2024 events schedule:
January 25: Laddie Boy’s Museum Sleepover, 6-7:30 p.m. at the Harding Presidential Library & Museum. Designed for children preschool through fifth grade. A perfect family event for parents, grandparents and children! Each child can bring a favorite stuffed animal, participate in lots of fun activities, then tuck his or her animal in for a sleepover at our museum! Pick up your animal after noon on January 26 and receive a special book documenting what they did all night! Free event, but registration is encouraged by emailing wpetrie@ohiohistory.org by January 19.
February 19: It’s Presidents Day! 12-4 p.m. at the Harding Presidential Library & Museum. Calling all families! Celebrate the holiday (and a day off school) with special, Presidents Day crafts and activities. Drop in anytime between noon and 4 p.m. No charge for event. *Access to Harding Museum and Harding Home require regular admission prices.
February 22: Fireside Chat: What About the Smoke-filled Room? 6:30 p.m. at the Harding Presidential Library & Museum. *This program will also be live-streamed. Details TBA. The Harding Sites’ Jon Andersen pulls back the curtains on the 1920 Republican and Democratic conventions to see what really took place behind the scenes. Hear how Ohioans Warren G. Harding and James M. Cox were chosen to face off in the 1920 presidential election. Free admission.
March 14th: Family Game Night, 6:00-8:00. Children and their families can come to the Harding Presidential Library & Museum to play games that were popular during Warren and Florence’s time.
April 13: Harding Presidential Sites’ Annual Waffle Breakfast, 7:30-11 a.m., Harding Presidential Library & Museum. Yes, we’re bringing out Florence Harding’s famous waffle recipe once again so we can bake lots of delicious waffles. The Harding Sites’ Jon Andersen, who is a professional chef, heads up this traditional, fun event. He’ll have blueberry, strawberry and maple syrups to try, along with Warren Harding’s favorite, chipped beef and gravy. Bacon and beverages round out the meal. Advance tickets encouraged; some available on the event day. More information TBA.
June 6: The Harding Neighborhood Walking Tour, 6:30 p.m., gather at Harding Home front porch. Veteran Harding Sites’ tour guides Theodore Persinger and Brett McCrery introduce you to the Hardings’ neighbors of 1920. Stroll with them along Mt. Vernon Avenue, as you follow the route that Warren Harding walked to the Marion Daily Star office on East Center Street and get a feel for what life was like in Marion during the Front Porch Campaign. No registration required; freewill donation.
June 13: Silent Movie Comedy Night, 7:30 p.m., south side of Harding Presidential Library & Museum. Grab some popcorn and settle in for some laughs with Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin – the same films that were shown in the Harding White House. Bring your own outdoor chair. Freewill donation. (In case of rain, event will be moved inside.)
June 20: Teatime with Florence Harding: Flower Arranging 101, 12-2 p.m., Harding Presidential Library & Museum. Florence Harding often invited people to the White House to join her for tea, scrumptious treats and good conversation. We are inviting you to do the same, and we’re featuring floral designer Kelly Taylor from Marion Flower Shop to give you some ideas and demonstrations on how to show off your backyard flowers in stunning arrangements. Reservations required by June 13. Details TBA.
June 27: Silent Movie Drama Night, 7:30 p.m., south side of Harding Presidential Library & Museum. Let’s get serious with some 1920s drama during our second movie night. We promise lots of popcorn and good times. Bring your own outdoor chair. Freewill donation. (In case of rain, event will be moved inside.)
July 19-20: Warren G. Harding Symposium.
July 21: Friends of WG Harding Brunch, Noon-2 p.m., Harding Presidential Library & Museum.
July 26: Happy Birthday, Laddie Boy! 2:00-4:00, Come and help us celebrate Laddie Boy’s 104 th birthday! It is sure to be a dog-gone fun time!
August 15: Florence K. Harding Birthday Tea, 12-2 p.m., Harding Presidential Library & Museum. Help us celebrate Florence Harding’s 164th birthday with a delicious light lunch and program by Wendy Petrie, Museum Experiences Supervisor, focusing on Mrs. Harding’s contributions to the White House gardens. Reservations required by Aug. 8. Details TBA.
October 13: Harding Scout Pilgrimage, 3 p.m., Harding Memorial. Since the 1930s, Marion area Boy and Girl Scouts have been conducting an annual tribute to President and Mrs. Harding. The Scouts parade from Grant Middle School to the Harding Memorial, where they conduct their ceremony and place wreaths. The Scouts, their families and guests are welcome to enter the interior of the Memorial following the ceremony. Free admission.
November 21: Florence Harding: A Time of Transition, 7 p.m., Harding Presidential Library & Museum. *This program will also be live-streamed. Details TBA. The Harding Sites’ Jon Andersen brings the story of Florence Harding to the surface on the 100th anniversary of her 1924 death. He will focus on the time after her husband’s death to her own death 15 months later, giving perspective on how she viewed her life, her role as a former First Lady and what she envisioned for her future.
December 14: Holidays with the Hardings, 12-2 p.m., Harding Presidential Library & Museum. Details TBA.