In conjunction with the U.S. 250 Ohio Salem committee the Emmanuel Lutheran Church will host an afternoon with George Washington from 2 to 4 p.m. April 26 in it fellowship hall at 251 S. Broadway Ave. Washington will be portrayed by Curt Radabaugh, a historical interpretive actor famous for his portrayal of Washington. (Submitted photo by Curt Radabaugh)

SALEM — America’s first president will be visiting Salem for an educational presentation.

In conjunction with the U.S. 250 Ohio Salem committee the Emmanuel Lutheran Church will host an afternoon with George Washington from 2 to 4 p.m. April 26 in it fellowship hall at 251 S. Broadway Ave. The second in a series of historical interpretation events hosted by Salem’s churches as part of the city’s ongoing celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday, the event will feature a presentation on Washington’s life and achievements by Curt Radabaugh, a historical interpretive actor famous for his portrayal of General George Washington.

“The last event was great; we are very excited. America250 Salem is very thankful our local churches have been hosting these wonderful programs,” said America250 Salem Committee Chair Sara Baer.

Doors open for the event at 1:30 p.m. and will begin at 2 p.m. with a performance of America the Beautiful followed by a prayer and an introduction by Pastor Jeremy Hollingshead. Radabaugh’s presentation will last approximately 90 minutes divided into two sections by a brief intermission and be followed by a question-and-answer period and an opportunity for attendees to take photos with Radabaugh. The event will also feature light refreshments, and a large replica of the Declaration of Independence which attendees can sign. Baer said that the declaration would also be at future U.S. 250 events in the city as part of Salem’s ongoing America 250 programming.

Judy Drotleff said that the church is always looking for opportunities to host events for the community, and that she suggested hosting the event after seeing a news story of a talk given by Radabaugh in Youngstown. After she shared the idea with the other members of the church, Doug Falk shared it with Baer and the America 250 committee who they said were excited about the event and supported planning.

Hollingshead said that he was happy that a portrayal of Washington had been chosen for the event because he felt many of Washington’s ideals were still relevant to Americans today.

“George Washington warned against political parties, and that’s something that we could maybe listen a little better about today,” said Hollingshead.

Baer said that Radabaugh would also be participating in the upcoming Independence Day Parade at noon on July 3 as Washington. Baer also said that Radabaugh would be joined in the parade by fellow historical interpretive actors portraying Martha Washington and Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln.

The event is open to the public, completely free of charge, and children are welcome. The fellowship hall is handicapped accessible, and there will be volunteers to help direct attendees from the surrounding municipal parking areas.

For any question or additional information contact the church at 330-332-5042, or Falk at 330-853-0158.