The National Park Service will celebrate its 100th anniversary on August 25, and everyone is invited to join in the grand celebration. The centennial launches a second century of stewardship of America’s national parks and engaging communities through recreation, conservation, and historic preservation programs. To commemorate the National Park Service’s Birthday Weekend, all national parks will offer fee-free days from August 25-28. Later this year, national park visitors will also be able to enjoy fee-free days on September 24 (National Public Lands Day) and November 11 (Veterans Day).
An Orange County filmmaking team has an important connection to the National Park Service’s Centennial, too. Laguna Beach-based MacGillivray Freeman Films produced “National Parks Adventure,” their latest giant-screen film that presents an awe-inspiring look at our national parks. Narrated by Robert Redford, the feature film gives a sweeping overview of the national parks’ history, including John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt’s three-day camping trip high above Yosemite Valley, which has been referred to as “the most significant camping trip in conservation history.” The movie took two years to make, and the result offers a stunning look at our country’s magnificent landscape as well as a reflection on what the wilderness means to the human spirit. “National Parks Adventure” is currently being shown in IMAX and giant screen theaters nationwide.
Laguna Canyon artist Fitz Maurice is also on a mission in regard to the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary. Maurice is on a quest to paint live in every one of the country’s national parks and capture the majestic beauty of each on canvas. An artist whose work is shown at galleries and museums around the world, Maurice started her adventure in March 2012 and is currently continuing her travel to capture the wonders of each park. Committed to helping promote and protect the parks, Maurice’s national park paintings are on exhibition at Woods Cove Art Gallery in Laguna Beach.
More than 307 million people experienced the splendor of America’s cultural treasures last year, an all-time visitation record for the National Park Service. The increasing popularity of our country’s national parks certainly bodes well for future generations. For its centennial celebration, the National Park Service has many park-specific events scheduled, including programs and recreation nationwide. For more information on national parks and programs.
