To commemorate the 85th anniversary of women�s voting rights in America, the Valley Forge Convention & Visitors Bureau announces WOMEN ADVANCING, a 19-month celebration of women�s achievements. Special events, performances and exhibits will take place at museums, attractions and historic sites throughout Philadelphia and the Valley Forge countryside from March, 2004 through September 2005.

Hotels throughout the region are offering two-for-one weekend packages with shopping coupons and other value-added offers, in conjunction with the celebration.

The celebration�s premier event will be the first annual Bell to Bell Bike Ride, Sunday June 27, 2004, from Philadelphia�s Liberty Bell to the Women�s Justice Bell in Valley Forge National Historical Park. Forged in 1915 by a Chester County suffragist to promote women�s right to vote, the Justice Bell is a 200-pound replic of the Liberty Bell. It traveled the country with its clapper chained to its side, silent until women�s voting rights were won. It will ring again on June 27, at the end of the bike ride. At 2 p.m., a festival, ceremonies and a carillon concert at Washington Memorial Chapel will culminate with the ringing of the Justice Bell. Throughout the day on Sunday, interpreters at Valley Forge will tell the story of women of the Revolution, including camp followers, enslaved and free women of African descent, civilians, and officers� wives, at stations throughout the park families can bike or drive to. Events will also take place in Historic Germantown, at the National Constitution Center, the Berman Museum at Ursinus College, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Fairmount Park Houses, Pottsgrove Manor, Graeme Park, Historic Yellow Springs and at other attractions throughout that weekend.

Participating organizations throughout the 19-month celebration include: Valley Forge National Historical Park; The National Constitution Center; the Kimmel Center; the Keswick Theatre; and approximately 20 other historic sites and attractions. For up-to-date event information, log on to www.womenadvancing.org. For more information, call toll-free, 1-866-VF-VISIT. www.womenadvancing.org.

Did you know? On June 4, 1919, the United States Congress approved the women's suffrage constitutional amendment and sent it to state legislatures for ratification. Pennsylvania approved it June 27, 1919. Just over a year later, on August 26, 1920, three-fourths of the states had ratified it, and the 19th Amendment became law. In November, more than 8 million women voted for the first time in a Presidential election. Today, an estimated 34 million women who are eligible to vote are NOT REGISTERED. And some 79 million men and women who are eligible to vote did not cast votes in the last Presidential election.

Visit www.womenadvancing.org to register to vote.

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Media Contact: Linda Riley +1 610-834-7990 riley@valleyforge.org