PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE DOCUMENT THOROUGHLY BEFORE YOU RESPOND
~Invitation~
50th anniversary commemoration of Oliver L. Brown et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas et al. and grand opening of Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.
May 17, 2004, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Program: Fort Riley Honor Guard (Mounted); Featured Speaker: the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth; local, state, national, and federal dignitaries.
Music by: 16th Street Baptist Church Choir, Birmingham, Alabama; 312th U.S. Army Reserve Band; Williams Magnet School Choir, Topeka; Thurgood Marshal Academy Choir, NYC.
This event is free but requires a reservation and an entrance pass. Seating is limited. Reservations must be made by noon on Friday, May 14. There will be a live-feed of the ceremony to the Kansas ExpoCentre for those who are unable to obtain a reservation.
To make a reservation for a seat and an entrance pass, please send your name, home address, and home & work telephone numbers via e-mail to cheryl_deshazer@nps.gov or by mail to:
Brown v. Board of Education NHS 1515 SE Monroe Street Topeka, KS 66612-1143
If you want reservation confirmation, whether you use e-mail or regular mail, please send your request Return Receipt; due to the volume of anticipated responses, we will not be able to reply.
Entrance passes must be personally signed for and can be obtained at the park 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. May 10-14, or at the ExpoCentre, One Expocentre Drive, Topeka, Kansas, between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on May 17; identification must match the reservation information and must contain a photograph (valid driver’s license is best). If you do not have photo identification, your request must describe information you intend to supply to officially verify your identity. A minor attending the event must have an entrance pass, signed for by the parent or legal guardian, and must be accompanied by the parent or guardian.
Pass holders will be transported from the ExpoCentre to the park by bus beginning 8:00 a.m. on May 17. The number of buses is limited so we strongly recommend that you arrive at the ExpoCentre and obtain your pass as early as possible. The last public transportation bus will leave the ExpoCentre at 9:45 a.m. The seating area at the park will be closed to further entry at 10:15 a.m.
Pass holders will go through security at the park and must present identification matching the pass reservation information; if the information and ID do not match, the pass is invalid and entry will be denied. Only purses and cameras may be brought through security; nothing else that can be thrown, such as an umbrella, will be allowed. Visitors should be prepared with proper clothing for a sunny, hot day or a rainy and possibly cool one. Once inside the security perimeter, visitors must stay inside until the ceremony concludes at approximately 1:30 p.m.
In case of severely inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at the ExpoCentre. Please monitor this website for significant changes to the ceremony location, time, or security requirements.
Free water and snacks will be available on site. Portable toilets will also be available.
The park visitor center will not be open to the public before or during the ceremony. Following the ceremony, depending on security requirements, the visitor center might be open from about 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. If so, we request that those living in or near Topeka return to the park at a later date in order to allow entry of out-of-town visitors.
Following the ceremony, the buses will be available to transport visitors back to the ExpoCentre.
