BEGIN:VCALENDAR METHOD:PUBLISH VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:-//NONSGML WPForms//NONSGML Sugar Calendar Feeds v3.11.1//EN X-WR-CALNAME:Rochambeau - America’s Forgotten French Founding Father X-WR-CALDESC:Ridefield CT Commemorates America at 250 – Join Us X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 DTSTART:20250309T070000 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 DTSTART:20250309T070000 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Rochambeau - America’s Forgotten French Founding Father DESCRIPTION:Rochambeau - America’s Forgotten French Founding Father\nT he Ridgefield Historical Society and The Meetinghouse in Ridgebury proud ly present historian Keith Marshall Jones III who will give the illustra ted presentation\, Rochambeau – America’s Forgotten French Founding Father\, on Tuesday\, July 1\, 2025\, at 6:30pm in the historic Meetingh ouse at 602 Ridgebury Road\, Ridgefield\, CT. Held in honor of the 300th anniversary of Rochambeau’s birth (July 1\, 1725)\, the presentation will be followed by a reception.\n\nTickets are limited\, non-refundable \, and expected to sell out quickly. Admission is $15 for members of the Ridgefield Historical Society and The Meetinghouse in Ridgebury\, and $ 20 for those who aren’t yet members. Tickets can be purchased online a t: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/rochambeau-americas-forgotten-french- founding-father\n\nOn July 1\, 1781\, French Lieutenant General Jean-Bap tiste-Donatien de Vimeur\, Comte de Rochambeau\, celebrated his 56th bir thday right here in Ridgefield. While his superbly equipped and immacula tely clad 4\,700-man army camped in Ridgebury Parish\, en route to Yorkt own to join General George Washington’s forces and secure American ind ependence\, the Comte dined at Ensign Samuel Keeler’s nearby tavern. T he following morning\, one of his regimental chaplains conducted Connect icut’s first inland Catholic Mass.\n\nJoin Keith Marshall Jones III on July 1 to commemorate Rochambeau’s birthday visit and explore the sto ry of his army’s two-day stay in Ridgefield. Learn why French money\, arms\, and manpower paved the way for American independence. Discover ho w it was Rochambeau\, not General George Washington\, who devised the bo ld stale-mate-breaking strategy that led to the decisive victory at York town\, and how he later narrowly escaped the guillotine during the Frenc h Revolution as thanks for his efforts.\n\nKeith Marshall Jones III\, Fo unding President of the Ridgefield Historical Society\, is the author of THE BATTLE OF RIDGEFIELD\, Benedict Arnold\, the Patriot Militia and th e Surprising 1777 Battle that Galvanized Revolutionary Connecticut (2024 ). Other books include: JOHN LAURANCE\, the Immigrant Founding Father Am erica Never Knew (awarded the American Philosophical Society’s 2019 Publication of the Year”)\; CONGRESS AS MY GOVERNMENT\, Chief Justice John Marshall in the War for Independence (2008)\; Farmers Against the Crown (2002)\; and The Farms of Farmingville (2001). He lives in New Yor k City and Connecticut.\n\nFor more information contact: info@ridgfieldh istoricalsociety.org or 203-438-5821 URL;VALUE=URI:https://ridgefieldct250.blog/events/rochambeau-americas-fo rgotten-french-founding-father/ UID:urn:uuid:204130c8-88a0-4739-b99d-d7c6b9cf40a2 STATUS:CONFIRMED ORGANIZER: DTSTAMP:20261007T210340Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250701T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250701T193000 LOCATION:602 Ridgebury Road END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR