Jimmy Carter, who entered home hospice 19 months ago and was expected to live only days longer, is now less than two weeks away from celebrating his 100th birthday.
A number of events are planned to honor the milestone for Carter, who has lived longer than any other U.S. president in history.
The former president’s birthday is Oct. 1. He is at home in Plains, Georgia.
Here are updates on some of the events planned:
Sept. 17
— A music concert, “Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song,” was held Sept. 17 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta to benefit the nonprofit Carter Center. The center also has launched a new digital mosaic composed of images, videos and messages from members of the public. People can view it and contribute to it by visiting CarterCenter.org/JimmyCarter100.
Sept. 28
— A free film festival will be held at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta on Sept. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., featuring some of the former president’s favorite movies while in office. Among the offerings scheduled: “Jaws,” “All the President’s Men,” “Rocky,” “Casablanca,” “Carterland” and, in the evening in an outdoor garden, “Star Wars: A New Hope.” Information is available here.
— A free one-mile and three-mile JC 100 Fun Run is planned for Sept. 28 at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, with runners meeting at 7 a.m.
— A 100-mile community bicycle ride is planned for Sept. 28 in Sumter County, the southwest Georgia community that includes Plains, Carter’s hometown. Information on the event, being organized by Sumter Cycling to double the length of its usual annual ride to honor Carter, is available here. The event coincides with the annual Plains Peanut Festival, which this year will include a film and memorabilia tied to the White House Communications Agency.
Oct. 1
— A special $1 admission price will get you in on Oct. 1 to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, following its tradition of having the admission price match the president’s age. (Last year on his 99th birthday, it was 99 cents.) As always, kids 16 or younger get in free. The library and museum will have a new exhibit about Carter’s 100 years, including documents, photos and art that haven’t been on display at the facility before.
— Naturalization ceremonies are scheduled in both Plains and at the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, each designed to include 100 new U.S. citizens in honor of the former president’s birthday.
— A music concert called “Happy Birthday, Mr. President! … Celebrating 100 years of Jimmy Carter in Plains,” is planned for Oct. 1 in the small city. The 7 p.m. event is scheduled to be held in the old Plains High School Auditorium at Jimmy Carter National Historical Park. The sold-out concert will feature pianist David Osborne and singer-songwriters Cindy Morgan and Andrew Greer. Greer and Morgan will debut a new song written in Jimmy Carter’s honor. More details are available at https://www.jimmycarterfriends.org/events. Proceeds are expected to benefit the Friends of Jimmy Carter.
— Earlier in the day, Plains plans to dedicate a monument called the Charters of Freedom, permanently displaying replicas of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
— At 12:30 p.m. a U.S. Navy jet flyover is scheduled in Plains, involving four F/A-18 aircraft from supporting squadrons based at the Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.
Also:
— Habitat for Humanity, the Georgia-based homebuilding nonprofit that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter championed for decades, already holds a special building push each year coinciding with the former president’s birthday. This year the weeklong Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project will be in St. Paul, Minnesota. Marking the project’s 40th anniversary, 30 homes are expected to be built between Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, with the event hosted by country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.
— Staff members at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains are planning a riff on the Carters’ frugality, putting together lists of 100 ways to save time, energy and money. More information related to the park is available at https://www.nps.gov/jica/index.htm
Last month, a number of events were held to honor the birthday of Rosalynn Carter, who died last November and would have turned 97 on Aug. 18. The former president and first lady were married for 77 years.
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