While the official date marking the centennial of the National Park Service still is more than six months off, that's not stopping individual parks from announcing their plans for marking the big date. And at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, the plans revolve around music, gatherings, and youth activities.

Established in 1916, the National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.

“The Centennial is an opportunity to introduce the National Park Service to the next generation of visitors while reenergizing those who already know and love the parks,” said Wind Cave Superintendent Vidal Dávila in a release. “We encourage people to participate in these special events and to use this year to find your park.”

Here's a look at some of the special events planned this year at Wind Cave:

* The park will celebrate National Park Week, April 16 – 24, with free tours. South Dakota's National Park Treasurers: Through the Voices of Our Youth, connects area national parks with elementary school classes in Custer and Porcupine to work with Native American songwriter and performer Mr. Sequoia Crosswhite to write an original piece of music about each park area. The musical premiere will occur April 19 in Custer, South Dakota, with a later performance in Porcupine.

* On Saturday, May 23, the park will participate in the National Park Service-wide BioBlitz Weekend. The focus of the Wind Cave BioBlitz will be birds, with volunteers focused on recording bird sightings, especially spring migrants. Festivities will include beginner and family bird walks, bird banding demonstrations, live raptors, and a bird box construction workshop. Species data from all BioBlitzes throughout the country will be entered into a central “Base Station” and broadcasted on a large screen on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

* A reunion of former and current employees and friends of the park will occur on Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9. There will be special events at the park ending with a banquet at the Mueller Center in Hot Springs Saturday night. Everyone is welcome; for dinner reservations, check the park's website. 

* The American Solar Challenge is a college competition to design, build, and drive solar-powered cars in a cross-country time and distance rally event. This year’s course will begin in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio and travel 1,800 miles through nine national park areas before ending at Wind Cave on Saturday, August 8.

The park’s celebration will wrap up in December, as the Centennial serves as the theme for this year’s Christmas in the Hills celebration. These are just some of the activities planned for the year. For more information, contact the park at 605-745-1130.