Clinton receives Truman Public Service Award: Harry S. Truman's 125th birthday celebration takes place this weekend in Lamar, Independence

Friday, May 8, 2009
Former President Bill Clinton, on the teps of the Truman Library, Independence, Mo., May 6, accepts the Truman Public Service Award and talks of what a good man Truman was. Truman's 125th birthday is today, with celebrations planned this weekend in Lamar and Independence. --Ken White/Daily Mail

A celebration devoted to the only U.S. President born in Missouri, Harry S Truman is taking place this weekend. On May 9, Harry S Truman State Historic Site in Lamar will celebrate its 50th anniversary and Truman's 125th birthday. The event will take place at the historic site between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is sponsoring the event in conjunction with the Barton County Chamber of Commerce and the city of Lamar.

Morning activities, focused on the 1950s when the historic site was dedicated, will begin at 9 a.m. and include games for children and a Harry and Bess Truman look-a-like contest. Dance performances by the Lamar HH Cloggers and Dancer's Studio will be held at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Afternoon activities will include music performed by 2+2=Harmony, a barber shop quartet, and a parade, which will begin at 2 p.m. and end at the historic site. At 3 p.m., a Truman impersonator will cut the birthday cake during a ceremony. Old-fashioned wagon rides and additional activities will be available throughout the day.

Born May 8, 1884, in a downstairs bedroom of a small frame house in Lamar, Harry Truman was the son of John Anderson and Martha Ellen (Young) Truman. On that day, to celebrate the birth of his first child, John Anderson proudly planted an Austrian pine tree at the southeast corner of the house, where it thrives today. His family occupied the home until Harry was 11 months old. In 1959, the United Auto Workers donated the home to the state for preservation as a state historic site. President Truman himself attended the dedication on April 19, 1959. Today, free tours are given of the home.

Harry S Truman Birthplace State Historic Site is located at 1009 Truman St. in Lamar. For more information about the event, contact the historic site at (417) 682-2279. For more information about state parks and historic sites, visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com.

A Presidential Birthday Salute also is under way in Independence, Mo., including a puppet show, and the opening of a special exhibit of photos from the library archives and more. Visit www.trumanlibrary.org for more infomation.

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