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YORKTOWN, Va. (AP) — On Oct. 19 in Yorktown, Ronald Reagan will visit the spot where the country he heads was born 200 years ago with Lord Cornwallis’ surrender to the Continental and French armies. Confirmation of the president’s plann ed visit to the Yorktown Bicentennial came Friday in a letter to Rep. Paul Tri ble, whose 1st District includes this historic community where the last major battle of the Revolutionary War was fought. Those involved with plans for celebra tion — which began four years ago were delighted with the president's message but not surprised that he ac heve an invitation they felt he couldn’t resist. “We're all very pleased and gratified,” said Jim Rollings, Yorktown Victory Center's publicity director. ‘The Bicentennial Committee has felt from the beginning that President Reagan should attend and deliver the keynote ad dress.’ We thought all along he would come,” said Lewis McMurran, chairman of the committee. “Every president has come” to anniversary celebrations of the Yorktown victory, he said, ‘We were confident it was going to hap pen, although it came a little bit sooner than we expected,” said Capt. Randall Young, a committee member. The Bicentennial planners think it’s on ly natural that Reagan should be ac companied by the heads of state of the other countries involved in the war Britain, France and Germany. French President Francois Mitterand indicated in an interview in Paris he might attend. Rollings said protocol demands the of ficial invitations to heads of state come from the government. “It’s something we've suggested but ultimately will leave up to the State Department,” he said. The French have committed two ships and 300 soldiers, Young said, and the Germans will be sending a band and some ceremonial troops. Although Cornwallis didn’t plan it that way, the anniversary of his surrender , and Republican Reagan's visit — comes two weeks before Election Day in a state with a closely contested race for gover nor. But the folks in Yorktown are hoping the president's announced visit will boost interest in and support for a celebration they stress is very much not a stepchild of the July 4, 1976 hoopla. “Yorktown fulfilled the promise of 1776. If the nation was conceived in 1776, it was born in 1781,” Rollings said. ‘Tam delighted that the president has agreed to add the prestige of his office to this important commemoration,” said Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr., Ind.ia. “His participation will lend the widest recognition to this great moment in history which led to America’s revolu tionary triumph and independence,”’ said Republican Gov. John Dalton. The Bicentennial Committee has $381,000 in state appropriations, $25,000 of which is earmarked for the re enactment of the Battle of the Virginia Capes, York County has chipped in some $150,000, and the committee also has $250,000 left from the 1976 shindig, and the National Park Service was authoriz ed to spend $200,000 on the Bicentennial. Still in Congress are resubmitted bills from Trible and Sen. John Warner, A Va., passed by their respective Armed Services committees, that call for $750,000 to $1 million in appropriations to the military for its participation, Roll ings said. Similar proposals passed the Senate but not the House. It's not quite the multimillion-dollar budget envisioned four years ago, “but we have something more important than money,” Rollings said. ‘We have people who care — about 300 volunteers and more asking what they can do.”
Newspaper Details
Daily News-Record
Harrisonburg, Virginia, US
Sat, Jun 20, 1981
Page 30
Full Page
Clipped by
Carol S.
USA 13 Jul 2026
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