Tryon Palace will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” with a trip to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Aug. 24.
Tryon Palace invites the public to enjoy a full day in Washington, D.C. that honors the original 1963 march with sightseeing and a march across the mall where the original historic civil rights event took place. It was here, on August 28, 1963, that more than 250,000 demonstrators gathered in the nation’s capital to demand freedom, jobs and equality. Participants marched down to the Lincoln Memorial, where a three-hour program included speeches from important civil rights and religious leaders—including the famous “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The anniversary bus trip begins from the Tryon Palace Eden Street Parking Lot on Friday, Aug. 23. Boarding begins at 11 p.m. for a midnight departure and the buses will return at midnight on Saturday, Aug. 24. Availability for this trip is strictly on a first-come, first-served basis and early registration ends on July 31.
Admission is $80 and includes bus fare, a T-shirt and light refreshments. Reservations can be made by calling Tryon Palace Group Services at 252-639-3524. All reservations for this trip are final and nonrefundable.
The event schedule for the March on Washington, D.C. bus trip is as follows:
Friday, Aug. 23:
11 p.m. – Boarding begins at Tryon Palace Eden Street Parking Lot
11:59 p.m. – Bus leaves from Tryon Palace Eden Street Parking Lot
Saturday, Aug. 24:
5-6 a.m. – Breakfast (Dutch) in Fredericksburg, Va.
8-9 a.m. – Arrive in Washington, D.C.
10 a.m. – March begins
Noon – Independent Lunch and Sightseeing
3-3:30 p.m. – Boarding begins to depart Washington, D.C.
3:30 p.m. – Bus departs Washington, D.C.
6-7:30 p.m. – Stop at Potomac Mills, Va. (independent dinner and shopping)
7:30 p.m. – Bus departs
Midnight – Arrive in Tryon Palace Eden Street Parking Lot
An additional event celebrating the 50th anniversary of this historic march will be hosted on Aug. 15 as part of Tryon Palace’s African American Lecture Series. Held in Cullman Performance Hall, this special evening celebrates local residents who participated in the original march. If you know someone living in Eastern North Carolina who participated in the original 1963 march, please contact Sharon Bryant, African American Outreach Coordinator for Tryon Palace, at 252-639-3592
Submitted by: Craig Ramey, Marketing and Communications, Manager, Tryon Palace