There will be cake all round as Lichfield prepares to celebrate the 302nd birthday of one of its most famous sons.
The Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum will offer a free slice of cake for all visitors as well as a range of activities on Saturday (September 17) as part of Lichfield Heritage Weekend.
Young visitors will be able to discover sports and hobbies from Johnson’s time in a trail around the house and take part in a Brilliant Balloons activity.
The Museum on Breadmarket Street will be open from 10.30am to 4.30pm and admission is free. A slice of Birthday cake supplied by local bakery Hindleys will be available for all visitors, while stocks last.
At noon a wreath will be laid on the statue of Johnson in Market Square by a civic party and Johnson Society members, while King Edward’s Brass Band and the Cathedral Girl’s school choir perform. The ceremony will be followed by a performance by Intimate Theatre.
The Johnson Society will also be marking the big day with the traditional supper at Lichfield Guildhall in the evening, where current president Frank Skinner will hand over his badge to president elect Susie Dent, known for her work on the Oxford English Dictionary and appearances on Countdown’s Dictionary Corner.
For more information on activities at the Museum call 01543 264 972, email sjmuseum@lichfield.gov.uk or click www.samueljohnsonbirthplace.org.uk.