Date: May 25, 2011
Contact: Mindi Rambo, 212-668-2208
Last Minute Ideas for May
Marine Corps and Coast Guard art on exhibition at Federal Hall
Federal Hall National Memorial, 26 Wall Street
May 25-27, 31 and June 1
Displays of U.S. Marine Corps and Coast Guard art will be on display in the rotunda of Federal Hall National Memorial as part of Fleet Week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday. The Marine Corps exhibit comes from the National Museum of the Marine Corps and features 24 selections from the museum's Combat Art collection. The Coast Guard exhibit of eight pieces highlights both original works by service members as well as historic recruitment posters flanks the Marine Corps exhibit. www.nps.gov/feha
Governors Island opening for the season
Governors Island National Monument
May 27-Sept. 25
Governors Island is re-opening on Friday, May 27. Throughout the summer Governors Island will be open every Friday through Sunday and all holiday Mondays from May 27 to Sept. 25. Hours are Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays and Holiday Mondays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free ferries to the island run from both Manhattan and Brooklyn. For a complete ferry schedule, visit http://www.govisland.com/html/visit/directions.shtml www.nps.gov/gois
How Decoration Day Became Memorial Day
General Grant National Memorial, 122nd Street and Riverside Drive
May 30, 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.
Learn about the history of Memorial Day from a National Park Service Ranger at the General Grant National Memorial Visitor Center at 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. on May 30. Space is limited and reservations are required. Please call 212-666-1640 to save your place. In addition, visitors to the site will have the opportunity to place flowers in honor of Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia on their sarcophagi inside the tomb at 1 and 2 p.m. www.nps.gov/gegr
JUNE
Colonial Day
St. Paul's Church National Historic Site, 897 South Columbus Ave., Mount Vernon, NY
June 11, noon-4 p.m.
Join the National Park Service at St. Paul's Church for the annual Colonial Day celebration. Everyone is invited to experience open-hearth cooking demonstrations, music, dancing and games. Trades people in period attire will demonstrate the crafts that were an essential part of colonial life, with hands-on participation for visitors. Special talks in the museum will examine "Colonial Westchester: Origins and Early History" and "Death Heads & Soul Effigies: Symbolism on Colonial Gravestones." Guided tours throughout the day will explore the bell tower and the colonial section of the historic cemetery. There will also be a performance on the historic pipe organ. Parking and admission are free. www.nps.gov/sapa
Juneteenth: African Americans in the Civil War
African Burial Ground National Monument, 290 Broadway
June 18, 1 p.m.
African Burial Ground National Monument will host a presentation by re-enactor Joe Becton at 1 p.m. on June 18. The hour-long interactive program will explore not only the creation of the Juneteenth holiday, but also the participation of African Americans in the Civil War. The program will be presented in the theater of the visitor center, an intimate space with limited seating. Reservations are required and will be taken on a first-come-first served basis. For more information or to make a reservation, call (212) 637-2019 Ext. 9. www.nps.gov/afbg
Army Heritage Day
Governors Island National Monument
June 18
Discover U.S. Army history at Governors Island National Monument. National Park Service Rangers, Civil War living historians, and members of today's military will provide living history, children's programming, musical demonstrations, and lectures which pay tribute to army life on Governors Island and the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War. www.nps.gov/gois
Looking Ahead: JULY
Celebrate the Fourth of July with the National Park Service
- Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island
Statue of Liberty National Monument will mark Independence Day with a naturalization ceremony on Liberty Island conducted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Planned entertainment includes the U.S. Armed Forces Band, the USO Liberty Bells and selections from "Liberty: The Musical." For more information, please contact Jane Ahern at (212) 363-3206 Ext. 106 or email Jane_Ahern@nps.gov . www.nps.gov/stli
- Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site
Starting at 10:30 AM
A traditional July 4th celebration at St. Paul's Church National Historic Site, 897 South Columbus Ave., Mount Vernon, NY, will feature music, speeches, refreshments, a reading of the Declaration of Independence and tolling of the historic St. Paul's Church bell - 13 times. This family-friendly event is free. www.nps.gov/sapa
- Castle Clinton National Monument
Noon
Castle Clinton National Monument, located in Battery Park, will be the site of the Fourth of July Veterans Corps of Artillery-State of New York flag raising ceremony at noon, July 4, which includes a cannon firing demonstration at Battery Park. The ceremony is brief and it is recommended that those wishing to see the ceremony be at Castle Clinton by 11:45 a.m. www.nps.gov/cacl
ONGOING
"Forgotten Gateway" exhibition now open
Ellis Island
Through September 5, 2011
"Forgotten Gateway" explores some of the most dramatic stories of migration to America through the little-known gateway of Galveston Island, a place known in the 19th Century as "The Ellis Island of the West." The stories in "Forgotten Gateway" present personal narratives about the challenges of migration and reveal patterns of historical migration parallel those of contemporary immigration. While most migrants today no longer come to America by ship, their stories reflect many of the same patterns and challenges of leaving home, enduring hardships, getting by, confronting discrimination, navigating bureaucracy, finding support and making a new start in a new land. It is through the historic lens of this forgotten immigration gateway that this exhibit hopes to engage contemporary audiences – including recent immigrants to the United States – in a dialogue of the larger migration story in America.
The exhibit features a mix of historical voices, approximately 200 artifacts, multimedia presentations and interactive activities. "Forgotten Gateway" is organized by the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. For more information, please contact Jane Ahern at (212) 363-3206 Ext. 106 or email Jane_Ahern@nps.gov . www.nps.gov/elis
