Special Events and Programs

 

Concert goers at Saratoga National Historical Park.

NPS Photo

April

Woodcock Bird and Nature Walk

Monday, April 22 (Rain Date April 23)
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Meet at Saratoga National Historical Park Visitor Parking Lot

Join us for an Evening Woodcock Walk on Monday, April 22 from 7-9 PM (Rain Date on April 23). The walk will begin at the Visitor Center parking lot before walking along the paved Tour Road to the Wheatfield (Stop 5) and back (about 1.3 miles each way). Please bring a flashlight or headlamp for the walk back. Binoculars are very helpful but not required.

The American Woodcock are short-legged shorebirds with a long bill and large eyes. They are often called unique names such as mudsnipe, bogsucker, or timberdoodle. Woodcock perform amazing aerial displays for their spring courtship rituals. These elaborate sky dances occur at dusk in open fields and begin with the males making distinct peenting calls. Subsequently they launch into a flight as high as 300 feet, go into a deep dive, and land close to where they took off. It is a wondrous event to experience. We will also be listening for owls, wood frogs, spring peepers and other nighttime sounds.

National Junior Ranger Day

Saturday, April 27, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Visitor Center

Join us in a national celebration of Junior Rangers! We will offer special family focused activities and opportunities to earn a National Junior Ranger Day prize!

May

Ben’s Bed: Recreating a Resting Place Fit for a General

Wednesday, May 15, 6:00 pm
Visitor Center

We have recently made significant changes to the furnishings of the Neilson House to better reflect its appearance in the fall of 1777. The first step was conducting extensive research into who occupied the house and their belongings. It was determined that a folding camp bed was the perfect choice to represent the presence of General Benedict Arnold in his divisional headquarters. Support was offered by donors and the Friends of Saratoga Battlefield, and the process of finding craftspeople who could replicate the techniques and skill of their 18^th century counterparts in recreating such a bed began. Join us at 6:00 pm on May 15, 2024, in the Visitor Center theater to discover from the people involved how this project progressed from the archives to the work shop to the Neilson House! Space is limited, so email us at [e-mail] to reserve your spot.

We will hear from Saratoga NHP Park Ranger and Historian Eric Schnitzer and Curator Christine Valosin, woodworkers Leonard Bellanca and Tom Wetzel, and seamstress Elisabeth Tatum.

Leonard Bellanca has been designing and making furniture using traditional methods, materials, and finishes since 1996. His work has been shown in fine art exhibitions throughout the northeast, and has been published in the Albany Times-Union, the Catskill Mountain Guide, the online journal Numéro Cinq, Fine Woodworking Online, and Simply Saratoga magazine.

Elisabeth Tatum is the Executive Director of Historic Red Hook and a PhD candidate in the history department at SUNY University at Albany. She is currently working on her dissertation which explores the lives of imprisoned debtors in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century rural New York. As a historian of material and consumer culture, she is always excited for the opportunity to research, make, and present on historical clothes and textiles, from soldier's beds to children's gowns.

Tom Wetzel began his career after graduating with a degree in residential construction. For the next 10 years, Tom and his brother built everything from decks to whole homes. In 1992, he left the carpentry business and immersed himself in 18th century furniture. After self-directed study, Tom decided on 18th century American Windsor chairs as his focus. To date, he has built more than 1,000 examples!

Where are we?

Saturday, May 18
10:30 am
Visitor Center

This 60-minute, hands-on session provides participants with a basic-level understanding of compass use, map reading, and the essentials of orienteering. No GPS here, we're doing this "old school!" Space is limited, so email us at [e-mail] to reserve your spot.

Stayin' alive!

Saturday, May 18
12:30 pm
Visitor Center

This 60-minute, hands-on program exploring some of the basics of wilderness survival, including: getting water, starting a fire, basic shelter, safety, signaling, personal gear, and why food is the least of your concerns! Space is limited, so email us at [e-mail] to reserve your spot.

In Memoriam

Monday, May 27
2:00 pm
Visitor Center

Park Ranger Eric Schnitzer reveals newly discovered stories of the lives - and deaths – of Americans who perished in the Battles of Saratoga.