You're Invited to Join Benedict Arnold for Dinner Next Week
Themed dinner and conversation with the country's most famous traitor is a fundraiser for the Fredericksburg Area Museum.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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The Fredericksburg Area Museum invites the Fredericksburg community to join “Benedict’s Table” next week.
The event, a brand-new fundraiser for the museum, is a themed dinner curated by downtown restaurant fixture La Petite Auberge—and Benedict Arnold himself will be in attendance to talk about the events of 1779-81, when he shifted his allegiance from the Continental Army to the British during the American Revolution, from his own point of view.
Arnold—as portrayed by professional interpreter Marc Holma—will talk about how his name became synonymous with “treason” and answer questions as guests dine on a three-course meal and sip French martinis.
The “weird, fun” fundraiser is emblematic of FAM’s approach to history, said Gaila Sims, vice president of programs and interpretation.
“It’s a unique take that’s fun but still based in history,” Sims said. “That’s our goal—to be flexible and use different methods to draw people in. It’s more than just reading text on a wall.”
Sims said she didn’t fully understand the significance of Arnold’s actions until she had completed research for the exhibit “Lafayette’s World: Revolutionary Ideals and the Limits of Freedom,” which is on display at FAM through 2026.
“I didn’t know how important he was before the betrayal,” she said. “I didn’t understand why it would have been so awful. Now I find him so fascinating—what a decision he made. What a choice.”

Fredericksburg has just come off a year of Lafayette-themed lectures and events leading up to the November bicentennial of the General’s visit to the city during his 1824-25 tour of the U.S—and is poised to enter another series of festivities leading up to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.
“Our thinking [around the Arnold event] was, we have done so much related to Lafayette—what else can we do within this broader theme leading up to the 250th?” Sims said.
Tickets at $190 per person are still available for “Benedict’s Table,” and proceeds will support the museum’s mission to preserve and share local history with the Fredericksburg community.
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