Multiple events are planned to celebrate the 127th birthday of Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is October 14th.

There will be a VFW Vigil Friday from 4:30 p.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday. VFW Posts from across the state will stand vigil overnight at the burial site of the President in Abilene. The public is encouraged to visit and pay their respects at the Place of Meditation.

A wreath laying ceremony led by the 1st Infantry Division is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. There will be a placement of a wreath at the Place of Meditation.

The American Legion Pilgramage will be held at the center of the Eisenhower Presidential Library campus in front of the statue. American Legion Riders Post #240 will provide a rifle salute for the ceremony. Representatives from every post in Kansas will gather to pay their respects to the President. This ceremony is free and open to the public.

There will be an Eisenhower Legacy Gala Saturday in the Library Courtyard. Two members of the Eisenhower administration will speak during the event, Stephen Benedict and Robert Kieve. Benedict was part of the Citizens for Eisenhower organization and the 1952 campaign. Benedict worked in the administration until 1955. Kieve joined the White House communications staff at the start of the Eisenhower administration. He has a lengthy career in communications and radio broadcasting. Also in attendance will be a contingent of sailors from the USS Eisenhower. They will spend several days visiting Abilene and speaking to students and community groups and participating in the wreath laying ceremony to honor General and President Eisenhower.

The 2017 Eisenhower Legacy gala sponsored by Waddell & Reed and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, is sold out.