Press release from Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site:
April is National Poetry Month, and Carl Sandburg Home NHS will offer a variety of ways to celebrate and enjoy poetry throughout the month. Follow along with us on Facebook for information about these events and daily poetry from our favorite poet, Carl Sandburg! Links to more information and sign-ups for these events can also be found at www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/calendar.htm.
Spring into spring break with a Park Ranger on Tuesday, April 6, at 10:00 am, for a virtual Jr. Ranger program! Participants will explore the season of spring through the eyes of Carl Sandburg and his family by writing and acting out poetry, video-visiting goats at the farm, and earning a Jr. Ranger badge. The program is geared toward elementary age youth, but kids of all ages will have fun!
Student poets who participated in our national, online 2021 Student Poetry Contest will be recognized at a virtual award ceremony on Sunday, April 18. Young poets in grades three through twelve from across the country submitted more than 200 poems. Students will be recognized for first through third place and honorable mention. Several local students were place winners from Bruce Drysdale Elementary School and Mountain Community School in Hendersonville, NC.
National Park Week runs from April 17–25. Visitors to the park on April 17, 18, and 23-25, during the hours of 10am – 2pm, can visit the park store and information tent behind the Sandburg Home to participate in the Jr. Ranger and BARK Ranger programs. Young visitors will explore the site learning about Carl Sandburg, his writings, and family life. Visitors with dog friends can learn how to have fun in public spaces and pledge to be a BARK ranger.
Carlene Kucharczyk will lead a virtual poetry workshop on Thursday, April 22, from 7-9 pm, ET. This workshop is open to writers of all skill levels and is a fun way to find inspiration from a new prompt or revise current work. Carlene was the 2018 Carl Sandburg Writer-in-Residence. Her poetry and prose have been published in Tupelo Quarterly, Connecticut River Review, Atlanta Review, Permafrost Magazine, and Strange Horizons.
Looking ahead to May, the annual Carl Sandburg Music Festival will be held virtually on the park’s official Facebook page on Monday, May 31, starting at 11am. These virtual performances will feature a variety of regional performers, including Jon Shain, Matthew Toomi, Pretty Little Goat, and Kat Williams. The music festival and virtual programs are all supported by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, Inc., our philanthropic partner.
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, located in Flat Rock, NC, is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Due to Covid 19, some visitor services are limited. For park updates and all parking options visit www.nps.gov/carl.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.