Alexandria Archaeology Museum, 105 North Union Street, #327

Philip Smucker’s new book, Riding with George: Sportsmanship & Chivalry in the Making of America’s First President, explores George Washington’s love for sports and games and how that passion led to his success on the battlefield and in national politics. According to the Washington Post, his highly-acclaimed new book successfully “confronts the marble, ossified immensity of the historical George Washington and strives to reveal the human side of America’s most legendary figure.” Join Friends of Alexandria Archaeology for a free Java Jolt lecture with Philip Smucker on Saturday, April 14 at the Alexandria Archaeology Museum. 

Smucker is a native Alexandrian and was a Fellow at the National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon. Over his thirty-year career as a seasoned reporter, Smucker has worked as a conflict reporter, interviewed world leaders, and worked and written for numerous publications, including The Atlantic Monthly, McClatchy Newspapers, the International Herald Tribune, The New York Times, Asia Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Daily Telegraph, London.

A book signing will follow the lecture. Free and open to the public. Reservations are required. Email archaeology@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4399.