Page 17 - Sojourner Newsletter-Winter 2023 Final revised

Volume 100, Issue 1 17

ANC AND CNE

Annual National Conference
and the
Centennial National Encampment of Heroes of ’76

Mark your calendars and begin planning now to attend the 103rd Sojourners Annual National Conference
and the 100th Centennial National Encampment of Heroes of ’76, 14-17 June 2023, at the Red Lion Hotel in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Harrisburg Chapter No 76, National Sojourners, and York Camp, Heroes of ’76,
will host these events.

The formal conference begins on Wednesday, 14 June, which is National Flag Day, a special day for
National Sojourners and Heroes. Of special significance for this conference, it will also be the date for the
Brother Colonel Christopher Van Deventer Centennial Annual National Encampment and Bennington
Banquet, which culminates the Heroes of ’76 year-long centennial celebration.

In addition to the important annual business of the conference, additional tours are planned. You will have an
opportunity to tour Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, enjoy the view of its 1,400+ acres of Lancaster
farmland and visit some of the activities available on the campus. You can also tour Hershey Chocolate World
and take a trip on a climate-controlled trolley through the main sites of Milton Hershey’s town and take a free
chocolate factory tour. There is also a tour planned of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, a National
Historic Landmark, with a guided tour of what Brother Theodore Roosevelt called, “…the handsomest
building I ever saw."

Finally, there will be a tour of the National Civil War Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, which is
known for its balanced presentation and understanding of the Civil War, its effect on the nation, and on the
American peoples struggles for survival and healing.

In addition to these special events, you can take in some of the area’s other attractions, to include the
Gettysburg battlefield, a Harrisburg Senators baseball game, a visit to the Amish countryside, or check out one
of the many orchards (and associated fruit stands) in the area. And the Harrisburg/Hershey area has some
excellent restaurants.

Be looking for additional information when the registration form becomes avail after the mid-winter meeting
in Raleigh.