Treasure Your Island promotes family fun at Fort Wadsworth

A member of Red Storm invites visitors to join him in a dance.

NPS PHOTO

News Release Date: May 14, 2012

Contact: Racquel Cornali, 718-447-3329, #1003

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - On Sunday, May 20, Gateway National Recreation Area will host Treasure Your Island, a community awareness day, at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place rain or shine from 11:30 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Now in its fourth year, Treasure Your Island attracts thousands of Staten Islanders with live music, dance, literary performances and demonstrations. Residents can learn about great things to do from 35 cultural, environmental, historical and recreational organizations located on the island.Representatives from the community will offer information about events for families and visitors of all ages and students can investigate volunteer opportunities close to home. The National Park Service will offer tours of its two historic forts, Battery Weed and Fort Tompkins. Historical reenactments will reveal Staten Island's centuries of military history.

Staten Island offers a wide diversity of cultural treasures: two art schools, the only Chinese Scholar Garden in the United States, a museum dedicated to Tibetan art and culture and 35 city, state and federal parks areas, including Gateway's Fort Wadsworth.

Visitors can choose from several attractions featuring Staten Island's past and present. The Red Storm Drum and Dance Troupe will perform Native American dances and costumes. The Historic Richmondtown Dancers will demonstrate dances popular on Staten Island in the 1800s. The U.S. Army Reserve will display two soldier transport vehicles, while the U.S. Coast Guard will exhibit its counterterrorism watercraft, the MSST 91106. Seven local schools will present choral, band or dance performances, including ballroom dance: P.S. 3, 6, 36, 65, 69, Staten Island School of Civic Leadership and Susan Wagner High School. Ten Staten Island authors will perform readings from their works, which will be available for purchase.

Treasure Your Island was created in 2009 by an ad hoc committee of individuals from various cultural and recreational organizations throughout Staten Island. The annual event introduces residents to the exceptional resources found here on Staten Island.

For more information, visit www.treasureyourisland.com or call Racquel Cornali at 718-447-3329, #1003 or email [e-mail].

About Gateway National Recreation Area

Established in 1972, Gateway National Recreation Area offers more than 26,000 acres of marshes, wildlife sanctuaries and recreational athletic facilities, miles of sandy beaches; indoor and outdoor classrooms; picnicking and camping areas, as well as historic structures and military installations, airfields, a lighthouse, and adjacent waters around New York harbor. The park offers urban residents in two states a wide range of recreational opportunities year round. With more than nine million visitors a year, it is the third most visited national park in the country and will be celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year. For information about Gateway's upcoming public programs, see the park's Web site at https://www.nps.gov/gate/index.htm

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