Alexandria on Saturday kicked off a weeklong festival to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in America.
Alexandria Mayor William Euille, Rep. Jim Moran and Sen. John Warner were among the politicians that addressed a crowd of a few hundred people in the festival’s opening ceremony. They spoke in front of a replica of the ship Godspeed, one of three that carried settlers from the United Kingdom to Virginia.
“As we embark upon celebrating the 400th anniversary of our nation, we are honored that Alexandria has been chosen as the inaugural port” for the Godspeed, Euille said.
The ship will travel to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Newport, Maine, as part of the commemoration, which will come to an end next May.
For now, though, the festivities are in Alexandria. Until Saturday, visitors can enjoy live musical performances, tours of the Godspeed, interactive exhibits with information on the Jamestown settlement, and events along King Street.
Warner said the Godspeed was a symbol of adventure in the United States. “This vessel marks adventure,” he said. “That adventure is still alive in the American experience today.”
Visitors at the ceremony included tourists visiting from around the country and residents of Alexandria and neighboring counties. David Hardison, a Fairfax resident who was waiting in line to tour the Godspeed, said he enjoyed the exhibits but could have done without the speeches from the politicians.
“I came to see the Godspeed,” he said. “It takes effort to stand in the sun for an hour and have to listen to politicians pat themselves on the back.”
His companion, Martha Thompson, who just moved to the area from Utah, said she didn’t mind the speeches and enjoyed the sense of community the event gives Alexandria.
“I love the community feel of” the event, she said. “I love the community feel of Alexandria.”
Festival sponsors
» Verizon, Norfolk Southern and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation are among the festival’s sponsors.
