With summer unofficially here, events around the National Park System that you can attend are popping up.

A haymaking demonstration, the old-fashioned way, is coming to Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve/NPS file

Making Hay At Tallgrass Prairie

There will be historic horse-drawn mowing and raking demonstrations with a team of draft horses at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas on Saturday, June 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weather permitting. You'll be able to watch historic stove cooking from 10 a.m. to noon as women of the ranch prepare a home-cooked meal. Living historians share their knowledge of the past as they go about their daily lives on a working ranch.

Step back over 100 years as living history interpreters demonstrate the process of making hay using 19th-century machinery propelled by real horsepower. Having enough hay to last through the winter months was a necessity. Prairie hay was cut, cured, raked, and made into haystacks. It was also stored loosely in the loft of the large 1882 limestone barn. Interpreters will be on site to talk about the cultural history of making hay on the property when it was the Spring Hill Farm and Stock Ranch and Benninghoven Ranches. Haying will take place in the field south of the large barn.

There is no admission charge to enter and all programs and activities are free at the preserve. Come see where history is being preserved. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is located two miles north of Strong City on Kansas State Highway 177 (the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway) and is a unique public/private partnership between the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy.

The Burnurwurbskek Singers, a Penobscot male drum group, performs at Cadillac Mountain Summit/Will Newton, Friends of Acadia

Indigenous Knowledge At Acadia National Park

The Cultural Connections program returns to Acadia National Park after a year-long hiatus. A full season of programming will kick off on June 14 at Cadillac Mountain Summit, where the Burnurwurbskek Singers, a Penobscot male drum group, will perform traditional Wabanaki songs.

This programming provides visitors to Acadia with the opportunity to learn from Maine Native artists, musicians, and scholars via bi-weekly summer demonstrations. Not only does the Cultural Connections program provide an important platform to support Wabanaki artists and educators, but it also fills a crucial role in communicating Acadia’s diverse cultural history to park visitors.

The Burnurwurbskek Singers 

Time: Wednesday, June 14, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. 

Location: Cadillac  Mountain  Summit,  Acadia  National  Park   

The Burnurwurbskek singers are a men’s drum group from the Penobscot Indian Nation at Indian Island, Maine. This group has been performing traditional Wabanaki songs for audiences across Maine and other states for many years. This performance on top of Wapuwoc, or the “white mountain of the first light,” is a cultural demonstration that will captivate audience members of all ages.   

In addition to a park pass, vehicle reservations are needed to access the Cadillac Summit Road for this program. You can make a vehicle reservation at recreation.gov.  

Fancy Basket Demonstration with Sarah Sockbeson, Penobscot     

Time: Wednesday, July 12, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.  

Location: Jordan Pond House Lawn, Acadia National Park  

Sarah Sockbeson is one of several basketmakers who take Wabanaki traditions to a new level with their contemporary styles. A citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation, Sarah apprenticed with basketmaker Jennifer Neptune and combines contemporary elements such as painting and bone carving into her work. Known for her vivid color combinations and beautiful landscape paintings, Sarah will demonstrate the various steps within her artistic process.   

Market Basket Demonstration with Gabriel Frey, Passamaquoddy 

Time: Wednesday, August 16, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.  

Location: Jordan Pond House Lawn, Acadia National Park  

Gabriel Frey, Passamaquoddy, comes from a long line of fancy and utility basketmakers. He uses his family's traditional knowledge and style to create beautifully woven, sturdily built utility baskets that can be used for a variety of purposes. Join Gabriel as he demonstrates the labor-intensive process of preparing ash and see firsthand how his beautiful and functional art is created.  

Talk and Storytelling with Dwayne Tomah, Passamaquoddy 

Time: Wednesday, August 30, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. 

Location: Sieur de Mont Nature Center Patio, Acadia National Park  

Dwayne Tomah, Passamaquoddy, will be hosting a talk and storytelling program regarding his work with the Passamaquoddy wax cylinders, which are the earliest known field recordings of Native Americans. These recordings, preserved on wax cylinders in 1890, include Passamaquoddy narratives, vocabulary, number lists, and songs. The Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Library of Congress have worked on restoring, digitizing, and revitalizing these recordings as digital repatriation.  

Flintknapping Demonstration with Chris Sockalexis, Penobscot  

Time: Wednesday, September 6, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.  

Location: Jordan Pond House Lawn, Acadia National Park  

Chris Sockalexis, Penobscot, is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Penobscot Nation.  Chris has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Maine with his primary focus being on Maine Archaeology. A flintknapper with knowledge of the ancient art and technique of stone and bone tool production, Chris is currently conducting research for his Masters of Science degree at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute. An Abbe Museum board member, he is also an avid canoe/kayak paddler who loves being out in the Maine woods and on the waterways that his ancestors have traveled for thousands of years.

Morristown National Historical Park At 90

Morristown National Historical Park in central New Jersey continues to celebrate its 90th anniversary as the nation’s first National Historical Park with programs scheduled for June 10 and 11.

Mark your calendars for:

The Turncoat's Widow

* 1 p.m., Saturday, June 10: Author Mally Becker will talk about her award-winning novel The Turncoat's Widow, which is set primarily in and around Morristown, New York, and the Ford Mansion. She will be available to sign copies of the book afterward.

* Location: Washington’s Headquarters Museum, 30 Washington Place, Morristown, New Jersey. Seating limited, first-come, first-served.

TEA FOR THREE: Lady Bird, Pat & Betty

* 3 p.m., Sunday, June 11: Emmy awarding-winning actress and playwright Elaine Bromka will portray the not always easy lives of American First Ladies through her play Tea for Three, Lady Bird, Pat, and Betty. Whether Martha Washington or Dr. Jill Biden, the stresses and joys of being married to the President of the United States are as unique as each individual lady but as similar as the unofficial office they hold.

* Location: Washington’s Headquarters Museum, 30 Washington Place, Morristown, New Jersey. Seating limited, first-come, first-served.

For a complete list of Morristown NHP’s 90th Anniversary events, see this site.

Myrlie Ever's Garden Lot with improvements/NPS

Honoring The Legacy Of Medgar Evers

The National Park Service, in partnership with Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, National Park Conservation Association, National Park Foundation, and the Trust for Public Land, will celebrate the legacy of civil rights icon Medgar Evers June 9 -12 throughout Jackson, Mississippi, on the 60th anniversary of his assassination. 

All events are free of charge and will be offered rain or shine. Programs may be canceled or modified due to severe weather. More details and updates can be found at: go.nps.gov/evers60.June 9:

• 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.: Ranger-led shuttle tours
• 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Ranger-led access of Medgar and Myrlie's House
• 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.: Information tent and activities at Myrlie's Garden
• 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.: Jr Ranger Activities at Medgar Evers Library

June 10:

• 9 a.m.: Community Cleanup of Medgar Evers Statue at Medgar Evers Library
• 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Ranger-led shuttle tours
• 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. National Park Workshops at Two Mississippi Museums
  • Grant opportunities, and federal hiring information
• 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Ranger-led access of Medgar and Myrlie's House
• 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Information tent and activities at Myrlie's Garden
• 10 a.m. -1 p.m. and 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.: Jr Ranger Activities at Medgar Evers Library

June 11:

• 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Ranger-led shuttle tours
• 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Ranger-led access of Medgar and Myrlie's House
• 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Information tent and activities at Myrlie's Garden

June 12:

• 10 a.m.: Commemoration Event at Myrlie's Garden
• 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.: Silent walk-through of home
• 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.: Information tent and activities at Myrlie's Garden
• 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.: Jr Ranger Activities at Medgar Evers Library

More details, including schedules and maps, can be found at: go.nps.gov/evers60. Medgar Evers was the first Mississippi field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was tragically assassinated in his driveway on June 12, 1963. The Evers home was established as a unit of the National Park System in 2019 as part of the John Dingell Jr. Conservation Act.

Hampton Hall/NPS file

Hampton's History

On June 25 the National Park Service will celebrate Hampton’s legacy of preservation at Hampton National Historic Site in Maryland and explore the stories of those who lived and worked at Hampton. Activities will include guided mansion and farm tours, and a special presentation Preserving the American Experience: Sully's 'Lady with a Harp' at Hampton House, given by Jennifer Riddell, manager of interpretation, learning and engagement at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.  This presentation will explore how a treasure of American painting helped to save to treasure of American architecture.

June 25th Schedule of Events

10 a.m. - Guided tour of mansion (tickets available at Visitor Center)
11 a.m. – “Families, Farming, and Freedom” program at farm
2 p.m. – "Preserving the American Experience: Sully's 'Lady with a Harp' at Hampton House" presentation by Jennifer Riddell of the National Gallery of Art 
3 p.m. – Mansion open house featuring harp musical performances in the Great Hall

All events and parking are free. Space is limited to 50 visitors for the 2 p.m. program in the Orangery.