Steven Spielberg to speak at Gettysburg

GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Dedication Day events, at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, will feature director Steven Spielberg as the keynote speaker.

Occasion

This ceremony, held at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, will mark the 149th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Spielberg’s visit will coincide with the release of his film Lincoln, written by Pulitzer-Prize winner Tony Kushner and based in part on the Doris Kearns Goodwin biography entitled Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

The film stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook and Tommy Lee Jones and will focus on Lincoln’s tumultuous final months in office.

Spielberg is collectively, the top-grossing director of all time, having helmed such blockbusters as Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones franchise, and Jurassic Park.

Agenda

At 9:30 a.m., the day’s events will begin with a wreath laying ceremony at the Soldiers’ National Monument. The Dedication Day ceremony will commence at 10 a.m. at the rostrum, where Steven Spielberg will deliver the keynote address.

Lincoln portrayer James Getty will recite the Gettysburg Address and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will hold a naturalization ceremony for sixteen citizenship candidates.

This event is free and open to the general public. People are encouraged to bring lawn chairs since seating will be limited. For more information, or to join the Fellowship, visit www.lincolnfellowship.org or follow on Facebook.