NEWBURGH — George Washington is having a birthday – his 285th – and Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh is marking the occasion with its annual George Washington’s Birthday Celebration.

It takes place Feb. 18-20, from noon-4 p.m. Admission is free each day; donations are appreciated.

To start off the daily festivities, a George Washington reenactor will cut Washington's birthday cake and participants can join in singing "Happy Birthday."

There will be music, military demonstrations, crafts, topical talks, and historical presentations to appeal to all ages.

George and Martha Washington reenactors will greet visitors in the historic headquarters, with balladeer Thad McGregor offering musical entertainment in the dining room.

On the grounds, reenactors will perform military drills, culminating at the end of the day with a review of the troops by "the General" himself.

Troops that will be present include: Saturday – the 5th Connecticut Regiment; Sunday – Lamb’s Artillery and Morgan’s Rifles; and Monday – the 5th New York Regiment.

On Saturday, Geoff Benton will deliver a talk, “The Letters of George Washington and Robert R. Livingston.”

Also on Saturday, at 4 p.m., the historic site will hold a special screening of “Mansion on the Hill,” a film about Washington’s Headquarters and its place in Newburgh’s history, directed by Newburgh’s own Joe Santacroce.

On Sunday, Lynette Scherer will offer insights into 18th century medicine with the “Bite the Bullet” program.

On Monday, Luke Ives Pontifell of Thornwillow Press will speak about “Making Books Familiar to George Washington in the Digital Age.”

Sponsorship for the program is provided by the Friends of the State Historic Sites of the Hudson Highlands, Palisades Interstate Park Commission, and the Palisades Parks Conservancy.

For more information, call 562-1195 or visit the Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site page on Facebook for more information.