Olympic Park Institute and Olympic National Park to Host Premiere Screening of The National Parks - Americas Best Idea

Date: September 18, 2009
Contact: Olympic National Park: Barb Maynes, 360-565-3005
Contact: Olympic Park Institute: Tom Sanford, 360-928-3720, ext. 19

Olympic Park Institute (OPI) and Olympic National Park are teaming up with KCTS 9 and the Red Lion Hotel Port Angeles to host a premiere screening of the first episode of Ken Burns’ new documentary “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.”

The public screening will be held at in the Peninsula Room of the Red Lion Hotel Port Angeles at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 27.

The event is offered free of charge; people are requested to RSVP by calling 360-565-3130.

“We’re excited to invite the community to share the series premiere by joining us for this special event,” said Tom Sanford, Executive Director of Olympic Park Institute.

Olympic National Park Superintendent Karen Gustin will make opening remarks.

“With this new series, Ken Burns gives us an opportunity to enjoy and celebrate our national parks,” said Gustin. “I look forward to joining other members of our community in watching the first episode.”

Door prizes will be awarded and include posters signed by Ken Burns and series producer Dayton Duncan, gift certificates for OPI instructor-led outings and a copy of the series’ companion book, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” by Dayton Duncan.

Light snacks will be served, and attendees will also be able to order from the hotel’s restaurant menu.

“The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” is a new six-part, 12-hour series by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns. It premieres at 8:00 p.m. on September 27 on KCTS 9 and public broadcasting stations nationwide. More information about the upcoming series can be found online at www.pbs.org/nationalparks/.

Olympic Park Institute is a campus of NatureBridge, the largest nonprofit residential education partner of the National Park Service. Its mission is to inspire personal connections to the natural world and responsible actions to sustain it. In partnership with Olympic National Park, the Olympic Park Institute provides residential environmental education programs to more than 6,000 diverse youth annually. Over 25 percent of the programs' participants and half of the participating schools receive scholarship assistance. For more information, visit olympicparkinstitute.org.