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National Park Service celebrates Fort Washington鈥檚 200th anniversary

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On Saturday, the National Park Service is hosting a celebration honoring the 200th anniversary of Fort Washington in Maryland.

The free, family-friendly event takes place at Fort Washington Park from 9 a.m. till 4:30 p.m.

Visitors can expect fort tours, musical performances, historic lectures, watercolor classes, cannon firings, skilled reenactors and Victorian dance demonstrations.

鈥淚 may be participating in the demonstration,鈥 said volunteer leader Cindy LaBarge.

The park ranger told 海角社区app that she typically dresses in World War II-era Women鈥檚 Army Corps uniform.

鈥淚 volunteered myself. Any excuse I can get to talk about women’s history I do so,鈥 LaBarge said.

An old photo of Fort Washington in Maryland. (Courtesy National Park Service)

Food trucks will also be featured at the celebration along with the launch of a new kids program.

鈥淲hich is a 鈥榖uild and knock down鈥 a fort activity. They can build a fort out of Legos, and then knock it down with these tiny mini-cannons. Or, they can join a team and build a fort out of large cardboard bricks. We have a scale model of a cannon that is a couple of feet (high) and we are going to shoot their forts, and see who gets knocked down first,鈥 said LaBarge.

The current Fort Washington is the second fort at that location. The original fort was destroyed by American soldiers during the War of 1812, after the British had taken Washington, D.C.

The site of Fort Washington was chosen by George Washington. The first president knew the area well 鈥 the location is across the Potomac River from Washington鈥檚 home at Mount Vernon.

LaBarge, a Maryland native, encourages people to visit Fort Washington for the celebration.

鈥淚 just think it鈥檚 a really great place to explore. It鈥檚 a really fun time to just wander around the fort and go behind the passageways and look behind the doors. It ignites that curiosity in everyone that visits,鈥 said LaBarge.

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Jimmy Alexander

Jimmy Alexander has been a part of the D.C. media scene as a reporter for DC 海角社区app Now and a long-standing voice on the Jack Diamond Morning Show. Now, Alexander brings those years spent interviewing newsmakers like President Bill Clinton, Paul McCartney and Sean Connery, to the 海角社区app 海角社区approom.

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