Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the National Anthem

Date: September 11, 2014
Contact: Maureen McGee-Ballinger, 605-574-3115

KEYSTONE, SD: You know the words, have sung them most of your life, but do you know the second verse or the third of the Star-Spangled Banner our National Anthem?

September 14, 2014 will mark the 200th anniversary of the poem "The Defense of Fort McHenry" written by Francis Scott Key. This poem would eventually become our National Anthem. Key gathered inspiration from the persistence of the American's defending Baltimore Harbor from British capture during the War of 1812 and by the large Flag that flew over Fort McHenry. The Flag that would eventually become known as the Star-Spangled Banner is preserved in the Smithsonian, National Museum of American History.

The Anniversary Celebration will begin at 1:00 pm on the Grand View Terrace.

1:00 pm Introduction of the Celebration of our Nation's Anthem
1:05 pm Park Ranger Dorothy Helder "This is our National Anthem"
1:15 pm Flag folding demonstration and reading
1:20 pm Folding of the Garrison Flag by the Public
1:30 pm Singing of our "National Anthem"

Please join us at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on the Grand View Terrace for this patriotic celebration.

All dates and times are subject to change. Please check at the Information Center for a daily schedule of interpretive programs and special events. For more information, please visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial's official website at www.nps.gov/moru or call [phone].