Celebrate Junior Ranger Day on April 25 at Gettysburg and Eisenhower National Parks

CONTACT:

Katie Lawhon

Public Affairs Specialist

Gettysburg National Military Park

(717) 334-1124

[email protected]

For National Junior Ranger Day on April 25, the National Park Service is inviting young visitors to Gettysburg and Eisenhower National Parks for special activities.

Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Foundation will celebrate the newly expanded Junior Ranger program at Gettysburg. Activities for the day include special presentations at 1 and 3 p.m. about the national parks. Kids will play national park trivia and other games, and can try on a ranger hat, and other activities in the Visitor Center lobby.

Throughout the day, the Gettysburg Foundation will offer a $1 discount on admission to the film, cyclorama painting and museum exhibits to all kids working on the Junior Ranger activities booklet. Main Street Gettysburg is also offering a $1 discount on admission to the David Wills House for all kids working on the Junior Ranger activities booklet throughout the day.

A special table will be set up in the park�s Museum and Visitor Center lobby for distribution of Junior Ranger activities booklets and check in. At the end of the day, a special drawing will offer all those who�ve earned a Junior Ranger patch an opportunity to win a �Behind the Scenes� tour of Gettysburg National Military Park to be conducted at a later date.

The Junior Ranger program at Gettysburg National Military Park is a family activity recommended for children ages 6 to 13. The park provides an activity booklet and participants are invited to spend two to four hours exploring the park�s Museum and Visitor Center, the Soldiers� National Cemetery, the David Wills House, the Historic Gettysburg Railroad Station and other sites on the battlefield and in the town of Gettysburg.

After completing the activities, the participants return to the park Museum and Visitor Center to receive a Junior Ranger patch and certificate. Gettysburg�s new, expanded Junior Ranger Activity Guide was produced by Gettysburg National Military Park in partnership with the Gettysburg Foundation and through the generous financial support of the Ford Motor Company Fund and Bob and Marion Wilson.

The National Park Service is also inviting children ages 7 to 12 to the Eisenhower National Historic Site on April 25 to participate in the Junior Secret Service Agent program. The Junior Secret Service Agent program allows the children to learn about President Dwight Eisenhower and how the Secret Service protected him on his farm in Gettysburg.

Children participating in the Junior Secret Service Agent program engage in activities such as practicing radio procedure, looking for suspicious objects using binoculars, and becoming familiar with surveillance equipment in the site�s restored Secret Service office. Trainees may also have to approach a �suspicious� staff member and �interrogate� them about their activities. Parents should plan to assist their children as they complete this self-guided activity.

Upon completing the program, the children will receive a Junior Secret Service Agent badge and certificate, plus a special certificate and button commemorating National Junior Ranger Day 2009. Eisenhower National Historic Site is open daily. All visits are via shuttle bus from the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg.

Shuttles depart every half-hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and every hour on weekdays. Admission is $6.50 for adults, $4 for children ages 6-12, under 6 free. The Junior Secret Service Agent program activities are included in the site admission and available daily. Families should allow at least two hours for their children to complete the program.

For more information call (717) 334-1124 or visit at www.nps.gov/gett and www.nps.gov/eise.