Tuesday: Budweiser Clydesdales Arrive in Bethlehem

Good morning, Bethlehem. Today is Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013, the 200th anniversary of one of the decisive battles of the War of 1812, “the second war of Independence” from Great Britain.

The Battle of Lake Erie was fought off the coast of Ohio with American Navy Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry leading a victory from the bridge of two different Pennsylvania-built vessels—the Lawrence and the Niagara.

At the height of battle, with the Lawrence crippled and the majority of the crew dead, Perry, carrying his personal pennant which read “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” was rowed a half-mile to the Niagara under heavy gunfire.

There, he finished the battle and commanded the American fleet to a decisive victory over the British.

His battle report to Gen. William Henry Harrison was famously brief: “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” The victory guaranteed American control of the Great Lakes for the rest of the war.

A restored Niagara is a museum ship—and officially the flagship of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania—that remains docked for much of the year in Erie.

Here is what is happening in Bethlehem today:

• If you thought summer was over, guess again. Today and Wednesday are forecast to be hot and sticky, with highs reaching toward 90.

• There are open houses for parents today at Freedom High School and Northeast Middle School.

• The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales arrive today in Bethlehem where they will hosted at the horse stables on Illick’s Mill Road. Visit them there in person from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here for more details on the visit.

• Former Morning Call arts writer Geoff Gehman will discuss and read from his new book “The Kingdom of the Kid: Growing Up in the Long-Lost Hamptons,” in the Laros Room on the second floor of the Bethlehem Area Public Library from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

• Beginner, amateur and professional doodlers alike can bring their pencils and pads to Drink ‘n’ Draw at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks from 7 to 10 p.m. The monthly event provides models for drawing inspiration, local musicians to set the mood and a bar close by because everything is a little better with a bar close by. There is a $6 cover charge, which goes toward the compensation of the models and musicians.

• Godfrey Daniels hosts its monthly bluegrass jam at 7:30 p.m. It is a fine music circle in the tradition. Bring your instruments and your voice, or come just to listen and tap your feet.