|
Contact: Kimm Fox-Middleton, 360-816-6243
VANCOUVER, WA: The National Park Service is pleased to announce its continuation of the popular ranger-guided Lantern Tours for the fall and winter seasons. During the months of November, December, January, and February tours will be offered from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. twice each month: Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 17, 2007; Saturday, December 1 and Saturday, December 15, 2007; Saturday, January 12 and Saturday, January 26, 2008; Saturday, February 9 Saturday, February 23, 2008. The Fort is a very different place once the sun goes down, and the lantern tour is a wonderful opportunity to tour the Fort at night. Each adult attending the program will carry their own lantern and tour with a park ranger through the Counting House, Fur Store, Kitchen, Chief Factors House and/or Bake House. Visitors will learn what activities would have occurred during the dark hours at Fort Vancouver. At the end of the tour, visitors will enjoy a hot cup of cider while having a chance to ask questions about the site. Reservations are required. They will be taken on a first come, first served basis and can be made through the Visitor Center at the Vancouver National Historic Reserve; in person at 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd. or by telephone at 360-816-6230. The cost for these events is $10 for adults and $7 for youth 15 years of age and younger, and is payable by cash or check. Visitors bringing cash are asked to please bring exact change. The programs will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. each evening, so visitors are asked to arrive ten to fifteen minutes early to provide for fee collection and lantern distribution. The programs include walking outdoors between buildings on the fort's historic pathways, so warm, water-resistant apparel and sturdy footwear is highly recommended. "These Lantern Tours have been very popular with the community," exclaimed Kimm Fox-Middleton, the park’s Special Events Program Manager. "There is something very magical and wonderfully different about Fort Vancouver at night and this program invites the visitor share in that experience." "Fort Vancouver no longer has a slow season. This tour and several other programs have filled a niche in what has typically been the quiet time of year for the park," explained Greg Shine, the park’s Chief Ranger and Historian. "Autumn and winter at Fort Vancouver bring exciting seasonal changes that we are beginning to better reflect in our programming. The shorter days and longer nights really lend themselves to programs like the Lantern Tours." For further information about these tours and to make a reservation please call the Visitor Center at 360.816.6230. Background: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service and the only National Park in the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area, is the heart of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. The Vancouver National Historic Reserve brings together a national park, a premier archaeological site, the region's first military post, an international fur trade emporium, one of the oldest operating airfields, the first national historic site west of the Mississippi River, and a waterfront trail and environmental center on the banks of the Columbia River. The partners of the Reserve teach visitors about the fur trade, early military life, natural history, and pioneers in aviation, all within the context of Vancouver’s role in regional and national development. The Reserve's vast array of public programs -- including living history events, festivals, cultural demonstrations, exhibits, active archaeology, and other special activities -- create a dynamic, fun, and unique tourist destination for people of all ages. -NPS- |
Last updated: February 28, 2015