Date: August 19, 2016
Contact: Project Contact: Alan Scott, 305-242-7750
Contact: Media Contact: Public Affairs Office, 305-242-7714
Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks Celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the National Park Service – Aug. 25
Homestead, FL: After almost a year of anticipating the Centennial Anniversary of the National Park Service, Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks are excited to celebrate the actual 100th birthday on Founders Day, August 25, 2016. All park visitor centers will have birthday cakes for visitors to enjoy and share in our celebration, courtesy of the Florida National Parks Association. Visitors and park neighbors are invited to join the celebration at by participating in any of these planned celebrations:
Everglades National Park
- Aug. 20 at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center – Girl Scout Troop 421 from Ft. Myers will present programs and participate in the Sing Across America event at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The scouts will put on two presentations at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Cake will be served at noon. The scouts will sing the National Parks Centennial inspired Children’s Earth Anthem at 11:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.
- Aug. 25 at Shark Valley and Ernest F. Coe Visitor Centers – The park is hosting Sing Across America events at both locations from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. At the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, The Big City Folk Band, an up and coming Bluegrass band drawing its members from the University of Miami, will provide musical entertainment. At Shark Valley, park volunteers will invite visitors to join them in singing. Both groups will sing the National Parks Centennial inspired Children’s Earth Anthem, written in collaboration by Louise Phillips and Charles Eversole.
- Aug. 25 at the Coral Gables Museum – Join the National Parks Birthday Party at the Coral Gables Museum in Coral Gables from6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. highlighting This Land is Your Land: A Second Century for America’s National Parks, an exhibit that features images, videos, and artifacts from the collections of Biscayne, Dry Tortugas and Everglades National Parks and Big Cypress National Preserve. A birthday cake and cash bar will be available, sponsored by the Florida National Parks Association.
Dry Tortugas National Park
- Aug. 25, 26, 27 at Fort Jefferson – Reenactors will present living history programs that represent daily life at Fort Jefferson during the Civil War era.
- Aug. 25 in Key West – The Park is offering guided tours of its primary tender vessel, the 110-foot Motor Vessel Fort Jefferson, while it is docked for the day at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. For more details call 305-809-4750.
- The park is also offering a surprise commemorative birthday present for all who attend on Founder’s Day.
You can also celebrate by visiting any of the four south Florida National Parks on your own. In honor of the anniversary, park entrance is free from August 25 to 28. And if you’re inspired, you too can join the celebration by singing Happy Birthday to the National Park Service (NPS):
Happy Birthday NPS,
You preserve our nation's best,
Here's to 100 more years,
Happy Birthday NPS!
