Cape Cod National Seashore to Celebrate 50th Anniversary on August 7th

Date: July 25, 2011
Contact: Molly Williams, Event Ranger, 508-957-0704

Park staff and partners have many festivities planned for August 7th. There is something for all ages and interests.

Especially for Families: Stop by a visitor center to create something for our time capsule, and drop in at Salt Pond between 2:30 and 4PM to create a plover or paint a shoreline scene to take home.

Concerts and Performances:
11:30 AM: Acclaimed Outer Cape musicians will perform toe-tapping tunes and familiar sing-alongs at each visitor center, culminating in cake and "Happy Birthday." Tim Sweeney and Roe Osborn will perform at Salt Pond Visitor Center, and Zoe Lewis and Peter Donnelly will perform at Province Lands Visitor Center. There will be commemorative remarks at both visitor centers at noon.

1 to 2 PM:The Kennedy Library, in conjunction with the National Park Service and PEN New England, will host readings by local authors Richard Russo, Pamela Painter, Alice Hoffman, Kermit Moyers, and others extolling the beauty of this unique shoreline, its dunes, its habitats and wildlife that were preserved by the stroke of his pen. Refreshments served. Bring your blanket or lawn chairs to Salt Pond Visitor Center. Hosted by the Kennedy Library. Free, but make a reservation at www.jfklibrary.org, or call 617-514-1643.

6 PM: Concert featuring soul/blues artist Shemekia Copeland at Payomet Performing Arts Center in Truro (advance tickets at www.ppactruro.org) $

7 PM: Campfire program with Vicky McKee at Herring Cove Beach - Enjoy a one-hour musical performance by singer/songwriters Vicky McKee and Jack Pearson. Celebrate 50 years of Cape Cod National Seashore, and 50 summers of Vicky's visits, with original songs.

Commemorative Postal Cancellations:
Stop by Salt Pond or Province Lands visitor centers between 10 AM and 1 PM for a unique 50th-anniversary postal cancellation provided by the US Postal Service.

Retrospective Ranger Programs:
Join rangers for walks at the sites of some of our 1960s ranger programs. What has changed? What has stayed the same?

10 AM: Walk: Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, Marconi Site parking area, off Route 6, Wellfleet. 1½ hours, 1½ miles.

10 AM: Walk: Small's Swamp, Pilgrim Heights parking area, Truro. Offered by former ranger, Dave Spang, who led this walk in 1963. Meet at the shelter. 1 hour, ¾ mile.

1 PM: Multi-Media Program: Fire, Ice, Wind, and Water, Province Lands Visitor Center auditorium, Provincetown. Former ranger Dave Spang will present a geologic and Earth science program that he offered for many years, beginning in 1964. 1 hour.

3 PM: Walk: Cape Cod National Seashore at 50, Hemenway Town Landing in Eastham. Walk through one of the national seashore's most historically significant sites and discuss milestones from its past. 1½ hours, 1 mile.

5 PM: Talk and Stroll: Chronicles from a Cape Codder, Salt Pond Visitor Center. Join long-time ranger Dana Eldridge for perspectives on the effects that both the idea and the creation of a national seashore had on Cape Cod and its local communities 50 years ago. 1 hour, 1 mile.

Open Houses and Programs at Historic Sites:
1 to 4 PM: Visit the Captain Penniman House in Eastham and the Atwood-Higgins House in Wellfleet to see how early Cape Codders lived.

2 PM: National Lighthouse Day celebration at Highland (Cape Cod) Light, Truro. Music and a procession by the Highland Light Scottish Pipe Band; a wreath-laying ceremony to honor lifesavers and lighthouse keepers; and cake. Hosted by Highland Museum and Light, Inc.

3 to 5 PM: Visit Old Harbor Life-Saving Station, Race Point Beach, Provincetown. Browse through the last intact station of the original 13 that served Cape Cod. New interior furnishings! (Beach fees apply).

4:30 to 7:30 PM Visit Nauset Light, Nauset Light Beach, Eastham and learn about the critical role of lighthouses in warning ships away from shore. Hosted by Nauset Light Preservation Society.

5 PM: Tour the Three Sisters Lights in Eastham and learn of their storied past. Meet at Nauset Light Beach parking area. 1 hour, ½ mile walk.

For more information on Cape Cod National Seashore's 50th anniversary check the park's website, www.nps.gov/caco.

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