"George Washington" Gets A Birthday Party In Old City Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - As the Presidents' Day holiday approaches, the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia was getting into a festive mood.

"This is absolutely delicious," said a George Washington reënactor (above) after plowing into a honkin' piece of chocolate mousse birthday cake served up today by Martha.

Cari Bender, a spokeswoman for Historic Philadelphia, says this was a loose portrayal (very loose, perhaps) of what took actually place at Valley Forge, way back when.

"General Washington had the first public celebration of his birthday done by his wife, Martha, at the encampment at Valley Forge in the winter of 1778," Bender says.

Mrs. Father of Our Country was trying to raise morale at the time, says Bender: "When Martha Washington arrived she saw the terrible conditions the troops were having to endure, and so a little birthday party celebration is always a way to get somebody in a good mood."

This birthday party was just a warmup to a full weekend of Presidents' Day activities around Old City, including the new 3D "Liberty 360" video presentation at the theatre-in-the-round inside the Historic Philadelphia Center, 6th and Chestnut Streets.

Reported by Paul Kurtz, KYW Newsradio 1060.