The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Centennial Celebration Announces February Events

From the press release:

To honor the life and legacy of President Ronald Reagan, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is sponsoring a week of events and programming to celebrate a leader who inspired freedom and changed the world. The week includes the first in a four-part series of Academic Symposia with major Universities across the United States on the “Lessons and Legacy” of President Reagan, a Concert for America, the official birthday celebration for President Reagan, and the grand opening of the Reagan Museum renovation.

“It was important to all of us at the Reagan Foundation to create a monumental series of events befitting of a man who brought so much to America and the world,” said John Heubusch, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. “The centennial celebration is about more than just one day and one man.  It’s a year-long historic occasion for people to remember an extraordinary man who restored pride in America and spread freedom throughout the world.” 

The week-long series of events begin February 1 and 2, 2011 with the first of four academic conferences –at the University of Southern California and Reagan Library which will focus on key aspects of the Reagan Presidency.  Additional symposia will occur throughout 2011 with the University of Virginia (Feb 10-11), University of Notre Dame (March 3), and the US Naval Academy (October 19). Keynote speakers at these include Tom Brokaw, Peggy Noonan, Brian Mulroney, Ed Meese, Mitch Daniels, and more.

On February 5, the Reagan Foundation will sponsor A Concert for America – A Tribute to Ronald Reagan.  The concert is comprised of live music and in-person and video tributes from world leaders and prominent individuals whose lives were impacted by the legacy of President Reagan.  The evening’s lineup includes The Beach Boys, Lonestar, Lee Greenwood, Fred Thompson, Jerry West, and video tributes from George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

The president’s 61st anniversary of his 39th birthday on February 6, 2011 will be celebrated with an F-18 flyover from jets off the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, musical performances by Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, and the official wreath laying on behalf of the president of the United States with Mrs. Ronald Reagan.

The week will conclude with the official opening of the newly renovated Reagan Museum which integrates hundreds of artifacts with dozens of interactive displays.  These new galleries capture the character and legacy of Ronald Reagan – his policy, his patriotic spirit, and his inspired leadership.

 “As President Reagan would have wanted it, no taxpayer dollars are being spent on any centennial activities,” John Heubusch continued.  “All events and initiatives will be funded by private donations collected through the Reagan Foundation.”

President Reagan’s centennial year is rounded out with statue unveilings and celebrations in his honor around the world, from Washington DC at the Reagan Airport, to Grovesnor Square in London, and across central and Eastern Europe from Prague to Budapest where President Reagan’s vision of freedom left an indelible mark on the world. 

I will be over at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley which is a short drive for me as much time as I possibly can the weekend of the February 4th through the 7th. I will take my Bloggie and try to video and interview as many political folks as I can.

I, especially like Air Force One and will take video and photos of the new Reagan Library displays that will open for the public on Monday, the 7th. Newt Gingrich will be signing books that day and I will get some video of that event as well.