Skip to content
Loading Events

« All Events

  • This event has passed.

General Macomb’s Birthday Party

April 1, 2017 @ 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

The City of Macomb, the Macomb Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Western Illinois Museum are planning a birthday party!  This year General Alexander Macomb, the city’s namesake, will be 235 years old and on Saturday, April 1st a celebration will be held in his honor. The party will be held at the Western Illinois Museum from 1:00 to 2:30 pm. The event is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome.

This year’s celebration includes the opportunity for children to design a party hat for General Macomb. The Western Illinois Museum will display their creations from March 29 through April 9th.  Mayor Mike Inman will award a $25 Macomb Chamber of Commerce Gift Certificate for the most creative design in four age groups at the April 1st party. Entry sheets and contest guidelines are available at the museum or at the museum website: www.wimuseum.org.

The Birthday party will provide a chance for families to learn about General Macomb, the War of 1812 and the circumstances that launched the development of the region.  At 1:00 children of all ages having a chance to make their own one-of-a-kind hat similar to that of one worn by General Macomb in the War of 1812. Dr. Eugene Watkins and other re-enactors from Old Fort Madison will also be on hand to show items used by soldiers in this region, illustrating what it was like to serve in the military during the early 1800s.

At 2:15 prizes will be awarded for the General Macomb’s birthday hat design contest, and the event will conclude with birthday cake and singing Happy Birthday to General Macomb.

General Macomb (April 3, 1782–June 25, 1841) was a key figure in the war of 1812, contributing to a decisive victory at the Battle of Plattsburg.  His stunning victory and his being awarded a Congressional Gold Medal made him a well known figure in the country.  Naming the town in his honor speaks to Alexander Macomb’s prominence as well as reflecting the fact that the land in the region was issued as payment to the soldiers who volunteered in the War of 1812.

The Western Illinois Museum is located at 201 South Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square.  For more information contact the Western Illinois Museum at 309.837.2750 or info@westernillinoismuseum.org.

Download the Coloring Contest entry form and sheet: 2017_coloring_contest_General_Macomb’s_Birthday

 

Details

Date:
April 1, 2017
Time:
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Event Categories:
,

Organizer

Western Illinois Museum
Phone
309.837.2750

Venue

Western Illinois Museum
201 South Lafayette Street
Macomb, IL 61455 United States
+ Google Map
Phone
309.837.2750
View Venue Website