National Park Calendar of Events
Listed below are some of the major events scheduled to take place at
national park sites during the month of October. Included is a brief
description, contact information, and a link for each event. If you know of any
other major events that are taking place at national parks in your area, please e-mail me,
so I can post information.
October, 1999
October 1-3
Andersonville Union Encampment
Living History program features a living
history portrayal of Union soldiers on occupation duty at Andersonville prison
in 1865. Additional activities include a candlelight cemetery living history
program, and the dramatization of the Wirz Trial on alternating years (the Wirz
Trial will be held in 1999). For
further information, contact Andersonville National Historic Site at
912-924-0343.
October 2-3
135th Anniversary of the Battle
of Fort Harrison
Activities will feature living history with Confederate and Union soldiers at
Fort Harrison and walking tours throughout the weekend. A candlelight tour will
be held at 8:00pm, Sat., Oct. 2. For further information, contact Richmond
National Battlefield at 804-226-1981.
October 2-3
Encampment at the Wick Farm
Morristown National Historical Park invites the public to the Wick Farm for a
Militia Muster, an event that will demonstrate different aspects of the lives of
militiamen during the American Revolution. Activities will include drill,
inspection, musket firing, and the trial of an accused loyalist. The park
commemorates the encampments of Washington's Army during the winters of 1777 and
1779-1780. For further information, call the park at 973-539-2016.
October 3
Cabrillo Festival Open House
Annual event at Cabrillo National Monument (San Diego, CA) to commemorate
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's 1542 landing in San Diego with a festive and colorful
Open House. Throughout the day, Native American, Spanish, Mexican and Portuguese
singers and dancers will perform, ethnic foods will be available, conquistador
living history re-enactment's will be presented, and children's activities will
take place. For
further information, call 619-557-5450.
October 7
219th Anniversary of the Battle
of Kings Mountain
Kings Mountain National Military Park (Blacksburg, SC), along with partner
organizations such as the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Sons of
the American Revolution (SAR), Sons of the Revolution and the Overmountain
Victory Trail Association (OVTA), will honor those who fell at the Battle of
Kings Mountain. The ceremony will begin with the arrival of the members of the
OVTA in the park amphitheater. A keynote address will be followed by a
wreathlaying ceremony at the U.S. Monument.. For more information, call
864-936-7921.
October 9
Friends of Fort Davis Festival
Fort Davis National Historic Site (Fort Davis, TX) hosts the festival annually
on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend. Activities include historic craft
demonstrations, arms demonstration, music, old fashioned games, and more. For further
information, call 915-426-3224.
October 9
Election Day 1860
19th-century political rallies, speeches and debates, militia muster, local
temperance rally, and a featured grand parade portray Harpers Ferry at this
turning point in American history. For further information, call Harpers Ferry
National Historical park (Harpers Ferry, WV) at 304-535-6298 or
304-535-6029.
October 9
Candlelight Tour of Fort Larned
Tour depicting an evening at Historic Fort Larned (Larned, KS). Required
reservations will be accepted starting September 20th. For further information,
call Fort Larned National Historic Site at 316-285-6911.
October 9
Plantation Harvest
The George Washington Birthplace National Monument will feature
living colonial farm activities. Visitors can watch wool spun for the winter
ahead, stir apple butter, make corn husk dolls, and break flax to make linen.
For further information, call 804-224-1732.
October 9-17
Colorfall Festival at Mammoth Cave
Fall Festival includes a variety of activities for the entire family,
including archeological seminars and demonstrations, folk art, tinsmithing,
rugmaking, chairmaking, pottery, spinning, eaving, quilting, basket making, and
whittling, and costumed tours. For further information call Mammoth Cave
National Park at 502-758-2328.
October 15-17
Border Folk Festival
Held at Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso, Texas, the three-day
cultural event includes arts & crafts and folk music. For further
information, call 915-532-7273.
October 16
International Good Neighbor Day
Fiesta
19th annual event will be held on the third Saturday in October at Big Bend National Park in
Texas. It will celebrate the unique culture of the border with music, food, and
dance. The fiesta coincides with the "Dia del Rio" celebration in
which communities throughout the entire Rio Grande Basin participate in
activities and events focusing on the Rio Grande and its natural and cultural
resources. For
further information, call 915-477-1108.
October 16
Bridge Day
Celebrated since 1980, West Virginia's largest one-day festival is held on
the third Saturday in October. On this day each year, it's legal to
parachute from The New River Gorge Bridge for a period of 6 hours. The NRGB
spans U.S. Rt. 19 in Fayetteville, 876 feet above the New River. For
further information, call Fayette County Chamber of Commerce at 800-927-0263.
October 16-17
Calabasas Pumpkin Festival
Enjoy the spirit of the Old West with music, dance, food, crafts, and over 30
tons of pumpkins. Activities will take place at the Paramount Ranch Site of the
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. For further information, call
the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce at 818-225-2227.
October 16-19
Yorktown Victory Weekend
and Yorktown Day
Special programs and tours help mark the 175th anniversary of the Marquis de
Lafayette's triumphal return to Yorktown. Lafayette, a divisional commander at
the 1781 siege and the last surviving Major General from the American Revolution
revisited Yorktown, surrounded by crowds of well-wishers and war veterans in
October 1824. Take an opportunity to meet Lafayette and his wife through special
living history programs; take in a talk and discover other aspects of his 1824
tour which took him to every state in the country; and explore the last major
battle of the American Revolution through special ranger guided programs. The
218th anniversary of the victory at Yorktown is celebrated on October 19th. For
further information, call the Colonial National Historical park at 757-898-3400.
