Guided Walks with Rangers this summer on the Gettysburg Battlefield

(Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) - 6/9/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE �

CONTACT:

Katie Lawhon

Public Affairs Specialist

Gettysburg National Military Park

(717) 334-1124, ext. 3121

Park Rangers from Gettysburg National Military Park are inviting the public to explore the Gettysburg battlefield this summer with guided walks and programs, beginning June 13. Gettysburg Rangers offer an array of guided walks and programs on the battlefield and in the Soldiers� National Cemetery. The programs are all free, and include children�s programs about the battle and the Civil War.

Also this summer, the park is offering two indoor programs in the classroom at the Museum and Visitor Center. �The Battle of Gettysburg � An Overview� is a 30-minute program about the Gettysburg Campaign and all three days of battle and is offered at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily in the Ford Motor Co. Fund Education Center. �Monuments of Gettysburg� will also be offered in the classroom on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m.

Seven days a week, throughout the summer, rangers will lead popular Gettysburg walks and programs such as �First Day,� �Second Day,� and �The Third Day � Pickett�s Charge,� along with �Little Round Top,� �Devil�s Den,� walks in the Soldiers� National Cemetery, and more. The Civil War experience is the focus of �Visits to the Past� programs with costumed interpreters who portray the men and women who witnessed and participated in the events of 1863 in Gettysburg.

Children�s programs once again feature �Join the Army� where children (ages 6-12 only) �enlist� in the army and learn something about what it meant to be a soldier in a Civil War regiment; the Junior Ranger program, a free family-oriented activity that allows children (ages 5-13) to become Junior Rangers by completing an activity guide as they visit the park and museum; and �Hands-on History Carts� available with Rangers in the afternoons in the museum lobbies featuring Civil War dress-up games, parlor games, and other fun.

To commemorate the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 2, and 3, rangers will present special anniversary battle walks to explore key events during the three day battle. These popular programs are three hours in length. This year, some anniversary battle walks cover ground on the battlefield that has only recently been returned to its 1863 appearance as a result of the park�s battlefield rehabilitation efforts.

On July 1-3, rangers are also offering an extensive list of �Real-Time� programs, a series of special short programs that commemorate the 146^th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Over three days, 20 programs follow and explain the battle in chronological order and as close as possible to the real time the events described took place. The programs range in length from 30 minutes to an hour. �Real-Time� programs involve minimal walking, although visitors will need to make short drives by vehicle between program locations.