Presidents’ Weekend is more than a Monday without work at the Harry S. Truman Little White House.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, seven descendants of U.S. presidents will participate in a panel discussion at the Harry S. Truman Little White House, 111 Front St.
A ticketed event that takes place before a live audience, the annual forum is the largest Presidents Day Weekend gathering of presidential descendants in the country. The event is produced by the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation in partnership with the Society of Presidential Descendants.
Participants will discuss their famous relatives’ legacies and the topic, “Historic Preservation — artifacts, objects and sites. Preserving our nation’s history for future generations.” Descendants include James Carter, grandson of Jimmy Carter; Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of Harry S. Truman; Ulysses Grant Dietz, great-great-grandson of Ulysses S. Grant; Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of Dwight D. Eisenhower; Massee McKinley, great-great-grandson of Grover Cleveland; Tweed Roosevelt, great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt; and Patricia Taft, great-granddaughter of William H. Taft.
Cori Convertito, chief curator and historian for the Key West Art & Historical Society, will moderate.
Following the forum, the presidential descendants will introduce winners of this year’s Monroe County student essay competition, after which attendees can mingle and enjoy cocktails on the lawn.
Located at 111 Front Street in Key West, the Harry S. Truman Little White House, where President Truman spent 11 working vacations during his 1945-1953 administration, is Florida’s only presidential museum. In the past, the property has also hosted presidents Jimmy Carter, Eisenhower, Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton.
Forum tickets are $40 each for Harry S. Truman Foundation members, $60 for non-members. The forum discussion begins at 4:30 p.m., with doors and cash bar opening at 4 p.m.
Additional Presidents Day Weekend events at the Little White House take place from Feb. 13 through Feb. 17 and include “Happy Hour at Harry’s,” a cocktails and presidential trivia competition; two live performances of the acclaimed stage production, “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry”; and a Presidents Day cookout.More information is at trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events/.
