Reservations are now open! Please see below for RSVP deadlines.
Last update: 03/23/2025
What is Lafayette 200?
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What is Lafayette 200? *
From August 1824 - September 1825, the gentleman commonly known as the Marquis de Lafayette was "The Guest of the Nation," during the kickoff of America's 50th anniversary of becoming an independent country. He was the last living general from the American Revolutionary War and went on a grand tour of all twenty-four United States. (Think the musical Hamilton, and you will know who we mean.)
But who was Lafayette?
Today, the nonprofit, American Friends of Lafayette (AFL,) are dedicated to answering that question and are recreating Lafayette’s entire thirteen-month tour. Over 20,000 people across the US are involved in planning the local tour stops.
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The American Friends of Lafayette is an historical and patriotic society dedicated to the memory of Major General Gilbert Motier, Marquis de Lafayette and to the study of his life and times in America and France.
Activities
All activities are FREE and open to the public, unless otherwise stated
*This schedule is still being developed and may very likely change.
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132 Front St., Schenectady, NY 12305 (Entrance: N Ferry St.)
Join us at Riverside Park, in the Historic Stockade of Schenectady, as the city welcomes the return of Revolutionary War Hero, General Lafayette!
Guests are encouraged to arrive by 9:30 a.m.
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Experience the Historic Stockade of Schenectady, focusing on how Lafayette would have viewed the city in 1825. This will include a brief stop at the Yates Masion, where Lafayette stayed in 1778.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a one-hour tour. The sidewalks are very uneven. Walk at your own risk.
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First Presbyterian Church, 209 Union Street, Schenectady, NY 12305
Join the American Friends of Lafayette and the general for lunch, prepared by The Healthy Cafe Catering Company (www.healthycafecatering.com)
Cost: $22.00 per person
Presentation: “Local Revolutionary War Masons,” by our own Frank Karwowski.
Lunch choices: Artisan Box Lunch, choice of:
Turkey Baguette with Apple, Brie, Cranberry Mayo, Lettuce & Tomato
Ham and Swiss Croissant with Honey Dijon, Lettuce & Tomato
Roast Beef Baguette with Caramelized Onions, Cheddar, Dijon Horseradish, Arugula and Tomato
(Vegetarian) Roasted Vegetable Baguette with Zucchini, Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Arugula and Herb-Goat Cheese Spread
Each box includes:
1 Full Sandwich
2 Individually Wrapped Madeleine Cookies
Apple
Please reserve your lunch choices below. There is limited seating for this activity.
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Veterans’ Park, State Street at Lafayette Street
Witness the unveiling of a new historic marker provided by The Lafayette Trail, Inc. with funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation in Veterans’ Park, commemorating the visit of Lafayette to Schenectady in 1825.
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SOLD OUT = miSci members should reserve tickets directly through miSci
15 Museum Drive, Schenectady, NY 12308
Discover the Erie Canal along with General Lafayette through a hands-on, inquiry-based learning experience that explores the science, technology, and history of innovation in Upstate New York. Guests will understand the physics behind the workings of the Canal, including friction, buoyancy, and Pascal’s Law. Using the engineering process, participants build a lock model based on the Erie Canal’s lock system.
This is a 45-minute presentation.
SOLD OUT = miSci members should reserve tickets directly through miSci
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Schenectady Civic Playhouse, 12 S Church St, Schenectady, NY 12305
Learn more about the incredible life of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette: Marquis de Lafayette, American Revolutionary War General, Commander-in-Chief of the Parisian National Guard, Prisoner of the Bastille, Guest of the Nation, orphan, husband, and father. A panel of authors will lead us on an exploration of his life at the Schenectady Civic Playhouse.
This event is FREE and open to the public; however, reservations are strongly suggested. This event is expected to “sell out.”
Panelists:
Bruce E. Mowday (Lafayette at Brandywine: The Making of an American Hero)
Elizabeth Reese (The Marquis de Lafayette Returns: A Tour of American’s National Capital Region)
Chuck Schwam, AFL Executive Director
Moderator:
Kiersten Marcil (The Enlightened saga)
Please reserve your seats below.
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After the Author Panel, follow us to the green room of the Schenectady Civic Playhouse, where you can meet the authors and ask them your questions.
Fort Plain Museum will be hosting a pop-up bookstore so you can purchase copies of the authors’ books to be signed when you say hello.
AFL will also provide a mobile exhibit on the life of Lafayette.
Please reserve the books that you would like to purchase at the event using the link below.
PLEASE NOTE: this reservation link will close after May 11, 2025.
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Glen Sanders Mansion, 1 Glen Ave, Scotia, NY 12302
Savor cocktails and dinner at the Glen Sanders Mansion, accompanied by live music from the late 18th to early 19th century. Winners of the Vive Lafayette! Poetry Competition will read their original compositions to the general, to be followed by a recreation of the 24 toasts raised in 1825 in honor of Lafayette’s visit. An original apple brandy will be prepared for the occasion.
Music performed by: Musicians of Ma'alwyck
Dinner options:
Strip Loin (GF) — roasted and sliced, toasted garlic pink peppercorn, rosemary hasselback potato, charred asparagus, shalot demi
Garganeli Pasta (V) — fava beans, spinach, wild mushrooms, grana padano pangrattato, basil pesto, pecorino cream
Please reserve your dinner choices below.
Meet the Authors
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Bruce E. Mowday
Lafayette at Brandywine
Bruce E. Mowday is an award-winning author and newspaper reporter, authoring more than 20 books on history, sports, business and true crime. Bruce has appeared on television and radio shows, including Counter Culture, a PBS Emmy-winning show, Discovery ID, ReelZ network, C-SPAN and the Pennsylvania Cable Network. He was a guest on the Massachusetts Historical Society’s Revolution 250. Twice he was invited to be part of the Authors of the American Revolution Congress hosted by Nathan’s Papers. Bruce is a frequent speaker at various civic and historical groups. The Congress of Civil War Round Tables named Bruce a “5-Star” speaker. A member of the American Friends of Lafayette, Bruce is the Chester County Coordinator for the Lafayette Bicentennial Celebration in 2024 and 2025. He is also a member of the Chester County’s 250th committee planning for a celebration of our nation’s founding.
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Elizabeth Reese
Marquis de Lafayette Returns
Elizabeth M. Reese is a historian in the Washington, D.C. area whose research is focused on public memory, family ties, and grief.
Elizabeth has spent over a decade as an interpreter at historic sites on the East Coast and her work has also appeared in TIME, the New York Times, and on C-SPAN. Elizabeth was awarded the Scott Hartwig Public History Fellowship at the Civil War Institute in 2015 and the America 250! Commendation Medal in 2024.
Elizabeth is currently the Senior Manager of Public Programs & Interpretation at Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House and is completing her Master of Arts in American History from Gettysburg College.
Her first book, Marquis de Lafayette Returns: A Tour of America’s National Capital Region, was published by The History Press (imprint of Arcadia Publishing) in 2024.
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Chuck Schwam
American Friends of Lafayette - Executive Director
Parking
Our community partners below have graciously offered use of the parking lots for this event.
First Presbyterian Church, 209 Union Street
First Reformed Church, 8 North Church St
St. George’s Church, 30 North Ferry Street
Event Locations
Grand Arrival of Lafayette: Riverside Park, 132 Front St., Schenectady, NY 12305 (Entrance at N Ferry St.)
Lunch with presentation: First Presbyterian Church, 209 Union Street, Schenectady, NY 12305
Unveiling of Historic Marker: Veterans’ Park, State Street at Lafayette Street
Lafayette and Erie Canal Ticket to Ride: miSci, 15 Museum Drive, Schenectady, NY 12308
Author Panel: Schenectady Civic Playhouse, 12 S Church St, Schenectady, NY 12305
Celebratory dinner: Glen Sanders Mansion, 1 Glen Ave, Scotia, NY 12302
Reservations
Deadlines for reservations are June 1st, unless otherwise specified. If you do not see an option to reserve a seat, that activity has been sold out.
Grand Arrival of Lafayette: no reservation required
Walking Tour: no reservation required
Lunch with Presentation: RSVP by June 1st, 80-person seating capacity
Unveiling Historic Marker: no reservation required
Erie Canal Ticket to Ride: SOLD OUT
miSci members should reserve tickets directly through miSci
Author Panel/Meet the Author: RSVP by June 1st, 208-person seating capacity
Book reservation for purchase at event: RSVP by May 11th
Celebratory dinner: RSVP by June 1st, 80-person seating capacity
Please support our community partners
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Daughters of the American Revolution:Schenectada Chapter
Schenectada - Native American name meaning "Beyond the Pine Plains"
The Chapter was formally organized October 19th, 1911 at the home, 1418 Union Street, of the first Regent, Mrs. Harriet Leonard Colburn, with the New York State Regent, Mrs. Joseph Wood, and the New York State Vice Regent, Mrs. Joseph King, present.
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First Presbyterian Church
Presbyterians began meeting in Schenectady sometime before 1760, with some evidence of the beginnings of a society as early as 1735. For a time in the 1760s the Episcopal and Presbyterian congregations shared the St. George’s Episcopal Church building, with each group using different entrances to the building and different internal seating arrangements.
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First Reformed Church
Founded by Dutch settlers, Schenectady’s first colonists, the Church has long enjoyed an ethnically and ecumenically diverse membership drawn from the city, its suburbs, and surrounding rural areas. The church has kept records since 1680.
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Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park
The Fort Plain Museum began operation in 1961 as the Fort Plain Restoration with an emphasis on rebuilding Revolutionary War Fort Plain.
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Free and Accepted Masons
“On the topic of Freemasonry, it has been disputed for two centuries where Lafayette became a Mason. There are no definitive records showing exactly when and where Lafayette was initiated… French Masonic scholars believe he was made a Mason in France prior to coming to America[ ] and enlisting in the Continental army. However, the most widely accepted and best supported belief is that Lafayette was made a Mason after coming to America, most likely after meeting George Washington.”
Source: The Midnight Freemasons
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Hudson Valley Writers Guild
The Hudson Valley Writers Guild supports the efforts of writers in all genres by sponsoring readings, workshops, and contests and providing a number of valuable resources for the entire literary community of Upstate New York.
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miSci
Founded in 1934, miSci is a center for learning, imagination, and creativity. Exhibitions, educational programs, and events are designed with our mission in mind: “to inspire people to celebrate and explore science and technology past, present, and future.”
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Musicians of Ma'alwyck
Musicians of Ma’alwyck is a flexible-size chamber ensemble in residence at the Schuyler Mansion New York State Historic Site and Schenectady County Community College. Founded in 1999 by violinist and director Ann-Marie Barker Schwartz, the group specializes in music performed in America during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
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New York State Writers Institute
Our mission is to explore and teach the writing craft; to celebrate diverse voices in all genres; to honor the power of literature as a force for individual growth and social good; and to foster a vibrant community of readers and writers who engage in meaningful dialogue.
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Saint George’s Church
British missionaries visited Schenectady as early as 1695 and an Anglican Parish under the patronage of St. George was established in 1735. By 1758…the young Parish found a warm and valuable friend in Sir William Johnson, His Majesty’s Superintendent for Indian Affairs in North America.
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City of Schenectady
The area that is now Schenectady was originally the land of the Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois Nation. When Dutch settlers arrived in the Hudson Valley in the middle of the 17th century, the Mohawk called the settlement at Fort Orange "Schau-naugh-ta-da", meaning "over the pine plains." Eventually, this word entered the lexicon of the Dutch settlers, but the meaning was reversed, and the name referred to the bend in the Mohawk River where the city lies today.
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Schenectady Civic Players
The Capital District’s Oldest Community Theater
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Schenectady County Historical Society
The Schenectady County Historical Society was founded in 1905 to share and preserve Schenectady County’s history. Today we bring history and culture to life through exhibits, programs, and community events at our three sites:
Mabee Farm Historic Site
Schenectady History Museum & Library/Archives
1735 Brouwer House Creative
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The Stockade Association
The Stockade Association was founded in 1958 to protect, preserve and improve New York’s first historic district.