Gettysburg, Pa. (Oct. 30, 2009) — The Gettysburg Foundation will present the 7th Annual Remembrance Illumination on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 5:30-9:30 p.m. in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. Sponsored by the Gettysburg Foundation, last year, the popular event drew an estimated 2,500 visitors.

“The Gettysburg Foundation is committed to inspiring in people a sense of respect and wonder for our nation’s history,” said Foundation President Rear Adm. Richard A. Buchanan USN (ret.). “We are honored to present the Remembrance Illumination as a testament to those who sacrificed so much on this and more distant battlefields. All of those who wear the uniform of our country, past and present, deserve a special place in
American history.”

During the annual Illumination, more than 3,500 luminary candles are lit by Friends of Gettysburg volunteers – one candle on the grave of each Civil War soldier.

The event is free and open to the public; in keeping with the solemnity of the event, it is requested that flash photography be kept to a minimum. Please note that the event will be cancelled in the event of torrential rain or high winds.

Visitors will be able to enter the National Cemetery via both of its entrances – Baltimore Street and Taneytown Road. Parking is available in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery parking lot on Taneytown Road.

The Remembrance Illumination is just one of several upcoming special events held at Gettysburg National Military Park over Dedication Day and Remembrance Day weekend:


► Remembrance Day, Saturday, Nov. 21: Army Materiel Command Band,  performing at the Museum and Visitor Center, in the Group Lobby, at 10a.m. The Materiel Band serves the soldiers and civilians of the U.S. Army Materiel Command stationed at more than 140 locations nationwide, including Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Afghanistan. (There is no charge for this program.)

For more information about the Remembrance Illumination or any of these special programs, contact the Gettysburg Foundation’s administrative offices at 866-889-1243 or
visit www.gettysburgfoundation.org. For tickets to the “Evening with THE painting” program, please visit www.gettysburgfoundation.org or call 877-874-2478.

The Gettysburg Foundation is a private, non-profit educational organization working in partnership with the National Park Service to enhance preservation and understanding of the heritage and lasting significance of Gettysburg. The Foundation raised funds for and now operates the Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park, which opened in April 2008. In addition to operating the Museum and Visitor Center, the Foundation has a broad preservation mission that includes land, monument and artifact For information about the Foundation, about visiting Gettysburg, or how you can become a part of the history of Gettysburg through your contribution, visit www.gettysburgfoundation.org or call 877-874-2478
or the administrative offices at 717- 338-1243.