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Hot Springs National Park
Jazzercise, Living History program on Junior Ranger Day

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Date: April 20, 2009
Contact: Gail Sears, 501-620-6701

Photo of woman in a royal blue dress, 1921 style, with a hat and holding an parasol, and a man dressed in a suit and hat with an antique radio
Tim Richardson
Hot Springs 1921 Living Historians

A Jazzercise work-out and special living history programs are scheduled for Junior Ranger Day April 25 as Hot Springs National Park concludes National Park Week.

The activities provide opportunities for young visitors to participate and earn the 2009 Junior Ranger patch or pin for their efforts.  Young students are also invited to pick up the Hot Springs National Park Junior Ranger booklet and earn a badge by completing those activities.

The day will start with “Jazzercise in the Park” at 10 a.m. on the Arlington Lawn.  The blood pumping 45-minute class will be presented by the local Jazzercise franchise certified instructors.  Participants should wear comfortable clothes, and bring a towel and drinking water.

If exercise is not for you, join the History Helpers, a professional living history group from Central Arkansas, as they bring the Golden Age of bathing to life. “Hot Springs National Park 1921” is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Arlington Lawn and is designed to introduce modern visitors to bath house patrons and a park ranger from the 1920s.

At the Fordyce Bathhouse, National Park Rangers also will re-enact the experiences of a gymnasium patron from10-11:30 a.m. and Katie Tate, a bath attendant who will return to her “old job” from 2-3:30 p.m.


A Jazzercise work-out and special living history programs are scheduled for Junior Ranger Day April 25 as Hot Springs National Park concludes National Park Week.

The activities provide opportunities for young visitors to participate and earn the 2009 Junior Ranger patch or pin for their efforts.  Young students are also invited to pick up the Hot Springs National Park Junior Ranger booklet and earn a badge by completing those activities.

The day will start with “Jazzercise in the Park” at 10 a.m. on the Arlington Lawn.  The blood pumping 45-minute class will be presented by the local Jazzercise franchise certified instructors.  Participants should wear comfortable clothes, and bring a towel and drinking water.

If exercise is not for you, join the History Helpers, a professional living history group from Central Arkansas, as they bring the Golden Age of bathing to life. “Hot Springs National Park 1921” is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Arlington Lawn and is designed to introduce modern visitors to bath house patrons and a park ranger from the 1920s.

At the Fordyce Bathhouse, National Park Rangers also will re-enact the experiences of a gymnasium patron from10-11:30 a.m. and Katie Tate, a bath attendant who will return to her “old job” from 2-3:30 p.m.

Black and white photo of the Government Free Bathhouse with a ranger walking on the sidewalk in front.  

Did You Know?
The Public Health Service operated a venereal disease clinic in the Government Free Bathhouse (1922-1948) in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. It was one of the first facilities in the United States to use penicillin. In 1948, the clinic transferred to the nearby Camp Garraday Transient Camp.

Last Updated: April 20, 2009 at 16:40 EST