50th Anniversary Events

Continue the 50th Celebration at the first Sandburg Movie Night on Sunday, October 28 at the Flat Rock Cinema. Reserve your seat and find more information at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C48A4A72DA4FA7-sandburg.

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Join our 50th Anniversary Celebration on Wednesday, October 17th, 2018!
A variety of activities will be taking place throughout the day. See the full schedule below:

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Community reading of Sandburg’s poem, The People, Yes.

We need 48 readers to participate in the event. Each reader will read a five minute segment of the work. Please sign-up to read here https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c48a4a72da4fa7-live.

• Assignments of reading order will be made when you check in.
• Please arrive at least 10 minutes prior to your assigned hour block. The reading will be held at the new amphitheater located a short walk from the main visitor parking lot.
• A copy of the book will be available for the readers at the event. Reader may either stand or sit during their reading.

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Museum Preservation Center Open House

Join a special behind the scenes tour of the park’s Museum Preservation Center. See historic objects that are either too fragile for display in the house or need special storage conditions. You will also learn how our curatorial team cares for these treasures. A shuttle will take you from the amphitheater to the center. A shuttle schedule will be available onsite.

2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m - 50th Anniversary Celebration

Join Park Superintendent Polly Angelakis, National Park Service Southeast Regional Director Bob Vogel, and poets Glenis Redmond and Kimberly Simms as they reflect on and celebrate the history of the park and Sandburg’s legacy. The program concludes with a folk music set by Grammy award-winning musician Dan Zanes. Birthday cake and other refreshments will be served during the music.

Ongoing from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• USPS Pictorial Postmark Station. Take home a unique souvenier of the day with a special edition 50th Anniversary postmark.
• Tours of the Sandburg Home from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Tours will be offered every 30 minutes. Most of the Sandburg furnishings will have been returned to the house after a three year preservation project, so it's an exciting time to see the family belongings in the house again.

The 50th anniversary celebration is supported by the National Park Service, Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, and Eastern National, the non-profit partner that operates the park bookstore.

“People loved Sandburg’s poetry because they could see their lives, struggles, and hopes reflected and magnified in his words,” said Superintendent Polly Angelakis. “Sandburg became known as the Poet of the People because he honored every person, from every walk of life. It is fitting that his home became a national park site, to be enjoyed by everyone, and we look forward to the next 50 years.”

In the 1960's the National Park Service was actively seeking to preserve America's cultural heritage. After Carl Sandburg's death in 1967, Secretary of Interior Stewart Udall traveled to Flat Rock, North Carolina and met with Mrs. Sandburg to discuss the possibility of Connemara becoming a unit of the National Park System. With the support and input from the Sandburg family, the Congressional delegation, and the community, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site was authorized on October 17, 1968.

The site is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Carl Sandburg and communicating the stories of his works, life, and significance as an American poet, writer, historian, biographer of Abraham Lincoln, and social activist. The site preserves and interprets the farm, Connemara, where Sandburg and his family lived for the last 22 years of his life (1945-1967).