KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (WLVT) - Children and their parents lined up to sign up for the Continental Army. Quill in hand, they were told they'd earn seven dollars for the day, represented by a slip of paper.
Valley Forge National Historical Park celebrated Presidents' Day with its annual remembrance of George Washington's birthday, which actually falls on Saturday.
His birthday was first publicly celebrated in 1778 -- and it was at Valley Forge.
Several children dressed up in colonial clothes, including Shea and Teagan O'Brien of Mohnton. Shea, 5, wore a Washington-inspired outfit, while Teagan, 7, fashioned a stars-and-stripes jacket she got from Gettysburg. The Kowalski family from West Chester featured miniature versions of Washington and Betsy Ross. Julian, 8, said some of the clothes came from trips to Williamsburg, Virginia -- and others came from Amazon.com.
Other children came prepared with questions for the reenactors. Levi Rossetti, 6, of Quakertown said he was ready to fight alongside Washington and asked about rifles.
"I actually have been training with my friends to fight the redcoats. So, I figured i would come here and join the real army and attack some real redcoats," he said. "It's too bad that all we’re fighting for is money now, because we should be fighting to protect our country."
Children also made handmade birthday cards for Washington, and several waited in line to take pictures with the General and First Lady. Some kids even brought one-dollar bills for the General to sign.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, those enlisted in the Continental Army prepared to fight, as some brushed up on Washington's history.
"I know about George Washington," said 7-year-old Thomas DiScipio. "He [led] a special boat or something.”
After several rounds of "hip, hip, huzzah," the child soldiers celebrated Washington's birthday with dessert. The Culinary Arts Institute (CAI) at Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) provided 600 cupcakes and a birthday cake for the occasion.
"We did red, white and blue patriotic colors, and then, we also did Martha's cake, which is more of a bread-like cake," explained baking and pastry instructor Joseph Jacques. "Back in the traditional times, it would have been very similar to panettone, which is a very buttery-rich bread, a lot of dried fruit, a lot of spice."
Jacques said CAI started making baked goods for the event six years ago as an "act of kindness" for MCCC'S 50th anniversary. He said it's now become part of the Presidents' Day tradition at Valley Forge.