The Virginia Museum of History and Culture (VMHC) is excited to welcome new citizens during a special Presidents’ Day citizenship ceremony.
On Monday, February 19, seventy-five candidates will be sworn in as naturalized citizens during a moving ceremony held in partnership with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The ceremony will be officiated by David J. Novak, U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, and will begin at 11:00 a.m. The event is free to attend and open to the public (following seating of citizenship candidates and their families, seating is available on a first come, first served basis). Please visit VirginiaHistory.org/PresidentsDay for details on ceremony security and an up-to-date list of items that are prohibited inside the ceremony venue.
Cake, Lemonade, Live Music to Celebrate New Citizenship
Following the swearing-in ceremony, there will be a free celebratory gathering from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the museum’s Commonwealth Hall featuring cake and lemonade and live patriotic music by the Richmond Brass Consort.
Also, following the citizenship ceremony, guests can explore the museum galleries with a special presidential-themed scavenger hunt and earn a pocket-sized copy of the United States Constitution upon completion (while supplies last). Guests can also test their civics knowledge with questions from the U.S. Naturalization Test and be entered to win a one-year family membership to the VMHC. In the E. Clairborne Robins, Jr. Research Library, a rare collection of presidential-related archival treasures will also be on display for one day only. Tickets for gallery and library access can be purchased onsite or in advance at VirginiaHistory.org
VMHC’s Presidents’ Day Celebration is part of the museum’s multi-year 250th Initiative, an effort to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. The museum will offer an increasing number of public programs over the next two years, offer new statewide civics and history educational programs for students, mount new exhibitions and support new scholarship. Learn more about VMHC’s 250th Initiative at VirginiaHistory.org/250.
