Adventures of a Fourth

My English husband, who had never celebrated Independence Day before but knew it had always been special in my family, came up with the following scheme: We would host a dinner party and invite all our guests to come in costume as American presidents or first ladies. We ourselves would be the Washingtons. I thought it was a grand idea.

So last Thursday, Rachel and I went down to a costume shop in the city to hire our gowns. The shop was packed with hundreds of costumes, sorted by time period, and you could look through and try on anything you liked. We quickly found a Pride-and-Prejudice-style gown that would be splendid for Dolley Madison and which fitted Rachel perfectly. Finding a Georgian-era gown for me proved a little more complicated, mainly because all the dresses from that period laced up the back, and getting them on or off was quite an ordeal. Rachel had to help me every time. We finally found one that seemed right for Martha. Anthony went round to the same shop after work, and aquired all the accessories to be a perfect George.

The banquet itself happened on the 3rd, as the 4th was Sunday and most of our guests had church commitments. We sat in the lounge at first, enjoying appetizers and talking in character until all the guests arrived, and then we moved into the dining room for our main meal. After dinner, each guest read aloud from one of their character's speeches or writings. General Washington admonished us to "Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all." Abraham Lincoln favored us with the Gettysburg Address, in full costume, complete with stovepipe hat. Mrs. Madison shared a letter to her sister, describing her harrowing experience of escaping the capital with Washington's portrait, just before the British arrived to torch the city. (After her reading, the General thanked her for her devotion and patriotic sentiment, and the three real-life Americans at the party regaled the company with an impromptu performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner"). Presidents Kennedy and Carter read excerpts of their inaugural addresses, while Mrs. Washington, Mrs. Kennedy, and Mrs. Carter shared various thoughts drawn from their writings or interviews. 

After a pound cake dessert, such as would often have been served at Mount Vernon, the ladies withdrew to the drawing room, leaving the gentlemen to their cognac and cigars. Once they rejoined us, we played "The Great Dalmuti" with regular cards, but styled it as "President." The hierarchy was as follows: President, First Lady, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, Summer Intern, and, at the bottom of the pile, His Superfluous Excellency, the Vice President.

General and Mrs. Washington: