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The 225th anniversary of President James Buchanan’s birth will be commemorated on April 23, 2016 and will feature the annual presentation of the White House wreath for the President’s grave site at Woodward Hill Cemetery starting at 10 a.m. followed by a Birthday Celebration at Wheatland starting at noon and lasting till 2 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

The day’s events begin at 10 a.m. at Woodward Hill Cemetery for the Presidential Wreath-Laying Ceremony. The Ceremony includes a historical view about James Buchanan by Brigadier General Timothy J. Hilty. Another special guest is the 15th President’s historic guards, the Lancaster Fencibles; they will present a black powder-gun salute at the Cemetery. The Ceremony concludes with the Presidential Wreath being placed at James Buchanan’s tomb by Brigadier General Timothy J. Hilty with assistance from two Buchanan Elementary School students.

Following the Ceremony the public is invited by the students and PTO of James Buchanan Elementary School to President James Buchanan’s Wheatland for a 225th Birthday Celebration. Free tours of the President’s beloved home, Wheatland, are available from noon until 2 p.m. with a tour beginning every 15 minutes and the last free tour beginning at 1:45. These tours will be led by the Buchanan Elementary School students as they interpret the history of Wheatland, James Buchanan, his family and his life. Enjoy a slice of James Buchanan’s birthday cake with some punch provided through the generosity of the James Buchanan Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (PTO.)