By Frank and Gloria Womble
This is the fifteenth in a series of articles leading up to the Lafayette Farewell Tour Bicentennial celebration. For earlier articles, see suffolkva250/history
The Suffolk Lafayette Bicentennial Committee is pleased to announce that TowneBank will be our Presenting Sponsor for the opening of the Lafayette Memorabilia Exhibit, “Celebrate Lafayette: Soldier, Statesman, Champion of Human Rights” on Jan. 23, 2025, at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts and also the Lafayette Bicentennial Banquet on February 25 at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront. Additional events include Lafayette’s arrival at the Visitor’s Center on Feb. 23, and a reception on February 26 at the Washington Smith Ordinary in Somerton.
As we prepare for our Bicentennial events in Suffolk, the commemoration of Lafayette’s visit to Hampton Roads continues with unique events in Portsmouth from Oct. 23 to 26, at Fort Monroe on Oct. 24, and in Norfolk from Oct. 26 and 27. For more details on the events highlighted below, please see Lafayette200.org.