November Events in our National Parks, Memorials, National Historical Sites, etc.
– Arizona –
The Grand Canyon’s Alive with the Sound of Music
(Arizona) — Randy Erwin, a western/cowboy singer and yodeler, will be the Artist-in-Residence on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon during November.
This year, Grand Canyon National Park’s Artist-in-Residence program has been expanded beyond photographers and painters who work in the tradition of representational landscapes. The program encourages the involvement of artists working in new mediums and of those whose art directly advocates for the park’s environmental, cultural, and historical issues and concerns.
– California –
Yosemite Renaissance 25th-Anniversary Juried Exhibition
(California) — Entries are now being accepted through November 14 for the 25th year of this annual competition/exhibition, which is intended to encourage diverse artistic interpretations of Yosemite. Its goals are to bring together the works of serious contemporary artists who do not simply duplicate traditional representations; to establish a continuum with past generations of Yosemite artists; and to help re-establish visual art as a major interpretive medium of the landscape and a stimulus to the protection of the environment. The 25th-anniversary Yosemite Renaissance exhibit will be installed in the National Park Service Yosemite Museum gallery from February 26 through May 2, 2010. Details and prospectus at http://www.yosemiterenaissance.org/.
New Phone Application Helps Combat Invasive Plants in National Parks
(California) — Citizen scientists have a new research tool to bring on trips to the Santa Monica Mountains. The National Park Service (NPS) and the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Embedded Network Sensing (CENS) have partnered to design a smartphone application for the purpose of identifying the locations of invasive weeds in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The What’s Invasive! application, which can be downloaded onto any iPhone or Android mobile phone, allows visitors to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (and, soon, to other NPS locations) to snap a picture and map the location of an invasive weed found while out on a hike, bike ride, or horseback ride. To learn more about the application, please visit http://whatsinvasive.com/
Joshua Tree National Park Will Close 22 Abandoned Mines with American Recovery & Reinvestment Act Funds
(California) — The National Park Service announced plans to close 22 abandoned mines at Joshua Tree National Park using funds from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. Mines will be closed using techniques developed at Joshua Tree that ensure public safety but protect the mines’
wildlife and historic values. Workers will remove and properly dispose of hazardous chemicals and other unsafe materials. Special gates will cover mine openings to prevent human access but allow use by bats, desert tortoises, and other native wildlife. Numerous mine locations are in Congressionally designated wilderness, and mine closure activities at these sites will fully comply with established guidelines and practices for wilderness management. Starting in mid-November, eight mine sites will be closed by park staff to remove public safety hazards. An additional 14 sites will be closed using contractor services.
– Florida & Mississippi –
Presentation for Native American Heritage Month at Gulf Islands (Florida and Mississippi) — Gulf Islands National Seashore will host a special presentation, “Southeastern Native Americans and the Indians of Pensacola Bay,” to commemorate Native American Heritage Month. The presentation will take place at Naval Live Oaks Visitor Center Auditorium on Wednesday, November 18, at 5:30 p.m. The public is invited to join Neill Wallis, Ph.D. with the Department of Anthropology at the University of West Florida, for a program focusing on social and cultural trends through time in the Native American Southeast and how those trends were manifested in the Pensacola area. The program is free.
Cast a Net at Gulf Islands National Seashore (Florida and Mississippi) — On Sunday, November 22, at 2 p.m., learn the art of cast-netting at Cast for Your Catch. Join a ranger for a discussion of the salt marsh and its marine life and see what you can catch in your net. Meet at the William M. Colmer Visitor Center.
– Iowa –
2009 Artists-in-Residence Donate Works to Herbert Hoover NHS
(Iowa) — The 2009 Artist-in-Residence program at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site featured writer Laura Madeline Wiseman and painter Patricia Rottino Cummins. Each artist donated work created during her residency.
Ms. Wiseman’s poem “Maternal Lineage” may be found on the park’s website, www.nps.gov/heho. Ms. Cummins’s painting Back Door at Hoover Cottage is on display at the visitor center along with works from past Artists-in-Residence.
– Louisiana –
Louisiana’s Native Americans
(Louisiana) — Louisiana’s native heritage will be honored at the Acadian Cultural Center of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve on Saturday, November 7. Activities include a 3 p.m. presentation on American Indian slavery in colonial Louisiana. Throughout the day, visitors can enjoy a display of Chitimacha Indian baskets and a short film on Chitimacha history. At 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m., ranger-guided boat tours on Bayou Vermilion will explore the relationship of regional tribes to local natural resources. The boat tours are by fee and by reservation; all other activities and admission to the center are free. For more information, please visit www.nps.gov/jela.
– Maine –
Take Pride in Acadia Day on November 7
(Maine) — Hundreds of volunteers will descend on Acadia National Park on Saturday, November 7, for the annual Take Pride in Acadia Day from 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m. Volunteers will prepare the park’s historic 44-mile carriage-road system for the winter by raking leaves and cleaning out drainage ditches. This effort reduces erosion from rain, ice, and thaws in the winter and spring. The event is co-sponsored by Friends of Acadia.
For more information, please contact Jonathan Gormley, the park’s volunteer coordinator, at 207-288-8716 or Terry Begley of Friends of Acadia at 207-288-3340.
– Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia –
Harpers Ferry Hosts Debate
(Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia) — On November 7, the national historical park will hold the program “If John Brown did not end the war that ended slavery, he did at least begin the war that ended slavery.”
Come to the Lower Town at 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. to observe a dramatic debate.
Fred Morsell will portray Frederick Douglass, and Jim Getty Abraham Lincoln.
Best Used by ?
(Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia) — “Luxury or Necessity? Victorian Preserved Foods” will take place at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park on November 7 and 8 from 11 to 4 p.m. Join the living history staff and volunteers at Roeder’s Confectionery as they demonstrate the differences between tin-can- and glass-preserved foods.
– Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Washington, DC –
New Online Tools for Exploring First National Water Trail (Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Washington, DC) — A new website, http://www.smithtrail.net/, from the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office features innovative tools for exploring the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. The 3,000-mile trail along the bay and its major tributaries offers endless opportunities for exploration and fun on land and water. The new website helps visitors find the best places to get on the trail, plan their trips, and share their trail adventures. For more information, please visit http://www.smithtrail.net/
– New York –
Honoring America’s Veterans
New York — On November 11, in honor of Veterans Day, General Grant National Memorial will offer living history displays and demonstrations showing the evolution of the American Army during the 19th century. The living history will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Presidential Power to Be Explored at St. Paul’s New York — On November 14 at 1 p.m., Professor Frank M. Sorrenti of St.
Francis College, Brooklyn, will speak on the power of the chief executive, helping to spotlight the new exhibition at St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site, “St. Paul’s and the Presidents.” The talk, “Presidential Power,” is sponsored by the Speakers in the Humanities Program, New York Council for the Humanities. Light refreshments will be served.
An Afternoon of Jazz at St. Paul’s
New York — There will be a special performance of jazz music by the Kenny Wessel Quartet at 2:30 p.m. on November 14 at St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site. Light refreshments will be served.
The British Are Leaving! The British Are Leaving!
New York — The National Park Service will commemorate the 226th anniversary of the evacuation of the British Army from New York, the end of the American Revolution, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 25 at Federal Hall National Memorial. Costumed re-enactors will join National Park Service staff in a celebration that explores how the end of the war affected all those who were touched by it – from women to freed and enslaved Africans and African-Americans to loyalists to patriots to soldiers of both sides. Commemorative wreathes will be presented at the graves of soldiers of the American Revolution in nearby Trinity Churchyard.
Music Returns to Theodore Roosevelt’s Childhood Home New York — Each year, American Landmark Festivals offers a series of classical music concerts at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Memorial. This year, the concerts, which are free and open to the public, will take place at 2 p.m. on the last Sunday of each month: November 28, January 30, February 27, and March 27.
Art Exhibit at Saratoga
(New York) — “Views from the Battlefield…Conserving Historic Landscapes”
is an art exhibit featuring 35 landscapes of Saratoga National Historical Park and the adjacent American Battlefield Protection Plan area. The art show will run through December 31. The proceeds from sales will benefit park partners Saratoga PLAN, Agricultural Stewardship Association, and the Friends of Saratoga Battlefield.
National Park Service Eliminates Entrance Fee at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (New York) — After careful review, the National Park Service decided to eliminate the $3 entrance fee at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site. The decision became effective on October 1, 2009. The historic home will continue to provide all of its events and programs, including the hourly, ranger-led house tours.
– North Carolina and Tennessee –
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Hosts Live Electronic Field Trip (North Carolina and Tennessee) — On Tuesday, November 3, millions of students from all over the country will visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park on an electronic field trip, during which they will explore one of Earth’s richest ecosystems. The National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, the UPS Foundation, and Apple are teaming up to showcase the biodiversity of the park via this live broadcast. From the comfort of their classrooms, elementary and middle-school students will be able to interact with National Park Service rangers and local student hosts from North Carolina and Tennessee. An interactive website, http://www.smokymountainseft.org/, is now available for teachers and students to use to prepare for the electronic field trip through six learning modules with interactive games, video podcasts, and lesson plans. During the live broadcast, students can call in or e-mail their questions, and a bank of experts from the park will be available to answer them. The live, 60-minute program will air via satellite, cable, and webcast from 10 a.m.
to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST on Tuesday, November 3. The show will be based in and around the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
– Pennsylvania –
Groundbreaking Ceremony for Flight 93 National Memorial
(Pennsylvania) — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania, Senator Bob Casey, Representatives John Murtha and Bill Shuster, and the families of the Flight 93 heroes to break ground on the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa. at noon on November 7. Officials representing the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, the Flight 93 Advisory Commission, the Flight 93 Memorial Task Force, and the Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign also will participate.
Unilever’s National Parks America Tour Concludes at Valley Forge
(Pennsylvania) — On Saturday, November 7, Valley Forge National Historical Park will be the last stop on the Unilever’s National Parks America Tour.
The tour is a volunteer-driven initiative designed to engage employees, community groups, schoolchildren, scouts, and citizens of all ages in volunteer service to the land in America’s national parks. Valley Forge National Historical Park will offer many projects to which volunteers can lend a hand. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Veteran’s Day Commemoration
(Pennsylvania) — The Friends of Valley Forge Park will be sponsoring the
2009 Veteran’s Day Commemoration. On Wednesday, November 11, at 10:30 a.m., there will be a wreath laying at National Memorial Arch with appearances by the superintendent of Valley Forge National Historical Park and the Korea DMZ Veterans Association. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be living history at Muhlenberg’s Brigade. Fo
Secret Side of the American Revolution at Valley Forge
(Pennsylvania) — As part of the Friends Lecture Series at the Chapel, Dr.
David Robarge will present “Secret Revolution: How the Patriots Used Intelligence to Help Win the War for Independence” on Thursday, November 19. Intelligence work is as American as cherry pie and as old as the Republic. Civilian and military leaders of the American Revolution used espionage, covert action, counterintelligence, deception, and cryptanalysis to offset the British army’s advantage in men and arms and help win the fight for independence. They used techniques that were remarkably sophisticated by today’s standards. There is much more to the secret side of the Revolution than Nathan Hale and Benedict Arnold. Everyone is invited. No charge. Refreshments follow each lecture.
Now Playing: the American Revolution
(Pennsylvania) — Valley Forge National Historical Park will be showing movies about the American Revolution on Friday nights through November.
Brought to you by the Encampment Store, the movies are free and family-friendly. Catch them on Fridays at 7 p.m. in the park theater. For a list of the films, please see http://www.nps.gov/ner/customcf/apps/eventcalendar/events/vafoevent72174823.html
Trolley Tours at Valley Forge
(Pennsylvania) — Hop on the Encampment Store’s old-fashioned trolley and experience the story of Valley Forge in a new way. Encampment Store Guides bring history to life right where it all happened. The tours are given on weekends in November at 11:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m., and 3:15 p.m. The tours are 90 minutes in length; tickets can be purchased in advance. For more information and for ticket reservations, please call 610-783-1074.
– Washington D.C. –
Lottery for National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony (Washington, DC) — The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation have announced that the annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held on Thursday, December 3, 2009, at 5 p.m. on the Ellipse in Washington, DC. The National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony begins each year’s National Christmas Tree Program. This year will see the introduction of a new lottery system providing a chance for the general public to obtain free tickets to the lighting ceremony. The new online lottery will be available beginning at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Wednesday, November 4 (or 11:01 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST), 10:01 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST), and 9:01 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Tuesday, November 3). The ticket lottery remains open through 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, November 6 (or 10:59 p.m. CST, 9:59 p.m. MST, and 8:59 p.m. PST on Friday evening, November 6). Go to www.thenationaltree.org and follow the link to the online ticket lottery application page at www.recreation.gov.
National Park Service Exhibits Work of Artist Mikhail Kononov (Washington, DC) — For the month of November, National Capital Parks-East will host an exhibit of six works by Mikhail Kononov, a Russian-born artist inspired by the water plants of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. The works will be on exhibit at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in the Helen Fowler Room from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving Day.
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