Yesterday the temperature climbed into the 90s as some 10,000 people came out for AARP's 50th anniversary celebration on the National Mall, part of the group's three-day Life @50+ National Event & Expo at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The centerpiece of the event was a red stage—matching the T-shirts seen in the crowd—set about 150 feet in front of the Lincoln Memorial at the foot of the reflecting pool.
According to AARP events vice president CB Wismar, the gathering had several purposes. “First, is the 50th birthday of AARP, which caps off a year’s worth of activity on our part. It’s about pulling all our staff and members together on the Mall,” he says. “Our theme is also focused on champions that have made their mark as individuals.”
For the 90-minute program, speakers included astronaut Buzz Aldrin, actress Sally Field, and Olympic gold-medal swimmer Dara Torres. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter Elder Bernice King also read an excerpt from her father’s “I have a dream” speech, in honor of its 45th anniversary. Due to the heat, most attendees took to the shade, snatching up free bottled wwater before heading back to the convention center in the 75 provided buses.
