July 3 marks the anniversary of the Battle of Fort Necessity — the first major engagement of the French and Indian War, fought in 1754 on a field in what is now Farmington, PA. The 22-year-old George Washington commanded British and colonial forces here, in his first and only military surrender.

Fort Necessity National Battlefield is a National Park Service site open year-round. The anniversary brings special programming and interpretation that makes this piece of American history — right in our own backyard — come alive. Well worth the drive up Route 40.