Valley Forge Invites Everyone to #FindYourPark during the Centennial Birthday Month

News Release Date: August 16, 2016

Contact: Jonathan Parker, 610-342-5182

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA – The National Park Service invites visitors of all ages to join in the celebration of its 100th birthday throughout the month of August.  Valley Forge National Historical Park will offer fifteen free activities and events on Saturday, August 27th as part of this nationwide celebration of parks, culture and the outdoors.  With special events across the country, and free admission to all 412 national parks from August 25 through August 28, the NPS is encouraging everyone to #FindYourPark / #EncuentraTuParque for the centennial.

“August – our birthday month – will be a nationwide celebration of national parks, and we’re inviting everyone to the party,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis.  “We like to think that we look pretty good for 100, and with so many events and activities to commemorate this milestone, we hope all Americans will join us to celebrate the breathtaking landscapes and inspiring history in our nation’s parks and public lands.  Whether it is in a distant state or in your own community, there are hundreds of ways and places to find your park!”

Centennial Events at Valley Forge National Historical Park

“We’re excited to offer fifteen free activities here at Valley Forge in celebration of the 100th birthday of the National Park Service on August 27,” said Kate Hammond, Superintendent of Valley Forge National Historical Park.  “Visiting Valley Forge is a fun, meaningful national park experience that encourages visitors to explore a defining moment in our nation’s history during the fateful winter of 1777-78.  Throughout this centennial year we’re inviting everyone to visit or re-visit the park and discover our 3,500 acres of trails, woodlands and historic landmarks.”

Join park staff and park partners for a wide variety of programs and activities on Saturday, August 27th from 9AM – 4PM.  

A complete schedule and list of activities is available at www.nps.gov/vafo/ and includes:

•Build a full-sized period hut from the 1777-78 encampment as a member of the Hut Brigade.

•Feel the BOOM and watch artillery and blackpowder musket firings

•Become a Centennial Junior Ranger, complete with a limited-edition wooden Junior Ranger badge.

•Meet Buddy Bison, the lovable woolly mascot of the National Park Trust

•Dive into the world of Revolutionary War espionage as part of the Secrets & Spies program

•Dress up like a Continental Solider or Camp Follower

•Attend a special Ranger-led program at the National Memorial Arch and Steuben Statue

•Learn all about park geology on a special walk and talk tour

•Grab some official Centennial Birthday Cake and help celebrate our 100th Birthday

A sampling of additional events at all 412 national parks is available on the National Park Service website, and many more can be found at FindYourPark.com and EncuentraTuParque.com.

Find Your Park to Celebrate the Centennial

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the National Park Service “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for future generations.”

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of that moment and to look ahead to the next 100 years, in early 2015 the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation launched the Find Your Park / Encuentra Tu Parque movement.  Inspiring people from all backgrounds to celebrate and support America’s national parks and community-based programs, #FindYourPark / #EncuentraTuParque invites people to discover and share their own unique connections to our nation's natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history.