Find Your Park and Celebrate the Centennial of the National Park Service with San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Date: August 19, 2016
Contact: Lauren Gurniewicz, [phone] ext. 227

San Antonio – The National Park Service is turning 100 years old on Thursday, August 25 and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park wants you to join the party!  Visitors and community members are  invited to stop by the Visitor Center at Mission San Jose, 6701 San Jose Drive, to enjoy birthday cake from 9:00 am-5:00 pm (or until it’s gone!).

To celebrate this milestone, the park is also hosting a red carpet event from 6:00-8:00 pm at Santikos Palladium, 17703 W IH-10, San Antonio. The event will include the only viewing of the National Parks Adventure IMAX film in San Antonio this year! Park rangers from San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and Padre Island National Seashore will join park partners for activities and information along the red carpet.The event is generously sponsored by Western National Parks Association, with additional support from REI, The Rivard Report, Mobile Om, The San Antonio River Authority, the San Antonio River Foundation and Los Compadres. Free seating for over 400 guests is first-come, first-serve. The first 100 participants will receive a goody bag from REI. Tickets are not required for the event.

 “Birthdays are a time to celebrate and we want everyone to join the party,” said San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Superintendent Mardi Arce. “Stop by the visitor center for cake and walk the red carpet at our evening film event. We look forward to seeing you at the theater!”

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation to create the National Park Service. Today, there are 412 national parks throughout the country and each one tells an important part of the American story. Some commemorate notable people and achievements, others conserve magnificent landscapes and natural wonders, and all provide a place to have fun and learn. And, on August 25, all national parks will offer free entrance for everyone.

www.nps.gov

About San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Much of San Antonio can trace its roots to the park’s four missions, which are active Catholic parishes. Visitors from around the world come to experience Spanish Colonial mission life and learn how the Spanish transformed native cultures through language, religion, and a new way of life. The missions serve as reminders of how native people adapted and succeeded in their new world, creating the culturally diverse San Antonio of today. Learn more onlineand visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.