09/17/2013 lar
More than 300 area fifth-grade students will gather on Fort Hays State University's campus on Monday, Sept. 23, for an educational day featuring the life and times of one of America's prominent Founding Fathers, Ben Franklin. The American Democracy Project (ADP) sponsors this event.

Fifth-grade students will hear from Ben Franklin himself, through an impersonation by Fred Krebs, Johnson County Community College professor of history. Two original letters written by Ben Franklin and copies of Franklin's newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, are the featured attractions. In addition, students can have a snack at the "Boston Tea Party."

"The goal of this event is to allow as many people as possible to see Ben Franklin's papers, starting with the young minds of the Hays community," said Anne Drees, Hays senior and student coordinator of the ADP. "This event is a great way to engage children in activities that reflect the life of Ben Franklin."

The seventh annual Ben Franklin Papers will be in Beach Schmidt Performing Arts Center and Forsyth Library. The morning session will be from 9 to 11:15 a.m. and the afternoon session from 12:15 to 2:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Drees at 785-628-5399 or email akdrees@fhsu.edu.