Friends of Independence
 

April  2011

Friends of Independence April Newsletter
In This Issue
Free Programs at INHP
Twilight Guides
Society Hill Open House
National Park Week
First Bloom
Rountable Discussion

 Free Programs at  INHP

Happy Birthday Thomas Jefferson

April 9, 10, 13 (only)

at 3:00 PM

Portrait Gallery  

 

Join a park ranger as we celebrate Thomas Jefferson's 268th  birthday (born April 13, 1743) with a gallery tour and examine his life and legacy.

(Approximately 20 minutes)

 

  

 

Happy Birthday Charles Willson Peale

April 15, 16, 17 (only)

at 3:00 PM Portrait Gallery

 

Join a park ranger as we celebrate the life and artistry of painter Charles Willson Peale (born April 15,1741) with a gallery tour of some of his most famous works.

(Approximately 20 minutes)

 

 

Donating to the Future of Independence

When touring the Second Bank Portrait Gallery or attending a program there, take a look around.  Quite a few of the portraits and artifacts you see there were donated or purchased by the Friends of Independence over our 38 year history.

 

 

 

If you would like to know more about how your donations help the park, visit our website.  You never know how your donation could help future generations learn about the events that led up to our Freedom and Independence

 

Be a Twilight Volunteer!

Become a volunteer Twilight Tour Guide and be an ambassador for Independence National Historical Park. 

 

If you are interested in history, love talking in front of people and want to share the stories and facts of our great park with our evening visitors, then you are right for the job!

 

During the summer months, our Twilight Guides present free tours of Independence National Historical Park to the visitors of the park.  Tours occur every night at 6 PM and guides usually work one night a week.

 

If you are interested in learning more, Click Here

or call the Friends office at 215-861-4971. 

 
    
 
 Save the Date
Neighborhood Open House Tours

Queen Village Neighbors Association will hold its 33rd annual Open House and Garden Tour on Sunday, May 15, from noon to 4 p.m. 

 This self-guided walking tour features a range of beautifully restored and renovated houses and styles, from 18th century trinities to 20th century homes, traditional to contemporary. The tour also includes two historic churches and two community gardens.  Enjoy strolling in Philadelphia's oldest neighborhood and take in an annual Arts and Crafts fair in a local park as well.


 

For more information, visit their website at

www.qvna.org 
 

Society Hill's 33rd Annual Open House and Garden Tour will take place on Sunday, May 22, 2011, from 1 to 5 PM.

   

Tickets are now on sale for this most enjoyable, self-guided tour of over ten private homes and gardens in one of our nation's most historic neighborhoods. Imagine strolling the same streets frequented by Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin!  Each year, the Society Hill Tour offers a brand new selection of exceptional homes and gardens that range in style and d�cor from the 18th and 19th century periods to the most contemporary.

 

For more information, visit their website at www.societyhillcivic.org

Join Our Mailing List
National Park Week - Come out and enjoy the national park in your back yard! 
  
  I&VS Ranger leading a tour
National Park Week is April 16th through the 24th.  This is a time to show your love and support for the National Park in your backyard by visiting Independence National Historical Park.  Take a leisure stroll around the grounds or go on a tour that you never experienced before. 
  
There are activities planned every day of National Park Week.  Please check at the Ranger Desk in the Independence Visitor Center for more information.
  
Along with the every day activities, we also have two special events planned:
  
April 21st - The Science of Going Green: From the 18th Century to the Future, 12 PM on Independence Mall
The Environmental Protection Agency's top scientist, Dr. Paul Anastas, will be talking with our nation's first preeminent scientist & engineer Benjamin Franklin. Be part of the conversation on the importance of innovation and invention, creating a better world through curiosity and scientific investigation, and how the current generation can make significant contributions to science and engineering. Sponsored by the USEPA, National Park Service, USPostal Service and Philadelphia Science Festival. Event is free and open to the public.Rain location: Independence Visitor Center
  
April 23rd - Junior Ranger Day 11 Am to 5 PM in Franklin Court
Join the park for a fun-filled day of Kid-friendly activities, including demonstrations on the glass armonica, Pamphlet-making and typesetting.  Meet Ben Franklin and listen to some 18th century music.  Children who participate in the Junior Ranger program will receive special badges and/or pins upon completion of the program.  
First Bloom 
Help out the Girl Scouts of America by
Voting and Volunteering
 First Bloomers 2010
First Bloom is a National Park Foundation program that plants the seeds for a stronger relationship between Americans and their national parks, beginning with our youngest citizens.
  
Here at Independence, we welcome the Girl Scouts of America to help us with our First Bloom efforts.  Every year the girls plan, plant and care for their garden located on park grounds. 
  
While in the planning stages, the girls create a landscape design for a native garden which is then submitted to the National Park Foundation for their Design Contest.  Starting April 15th and ending May 16th, the public is able to vote on their favorite design.  Help our Girls out by voting for their design Independence National Historical Park every day of the contest.  The girls will win and so can you, by voting often.  Got to the First Bloom website for more information.
  
If you would like to help the girls with their project, come volunteer with them on April 16th when they prep their garden bed for their May planting.  If you are interested in helping, please email us for more information.  
  
Remember, start voting on April 16th,
vote everyday and
get your friends and family to vote too
  

Greater Philadelphia Roundtable: Holy Experiment

 

April 14, 2011, 6:30-8 p.m.
  
The Greater Philadelphia Roundtable: Join in a discussion of Philadelphia history and issues, and help to shape the project to create an Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia! During 2011-12, our theme is "Phrasing Philadelphia," as we take a look behind the slogans for the history and ideas that unite and sometimes divide us.

 

Information on the program:

A Quaker, William Penn intended Pennsylvania as a "Holy Experiment" dedicated to tolerance for all religious practices.  In this discussion, we focus on religion and faith communities, from the colonial era to the present.  The panel will be moderated by Randall Miller of St. Joseph's University with panelists including Emma Lapsansky-Werner of Haverford College; Maris Gillette of Haverford College (and the Muslim Voices project); Rabbi George Stern of the Neighborhood Interfaith Movement; and Tuomi Forrest of Partners for Sacred Places.

 

Everyone who attends will have the opportunity to contribute suggestions for The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, a digital information project currently in its planning stages.  Teachers may receive Act 48 credit for attending this program. To prime the discussion, look for Emma Lapsansky-Werner's essay on The Holy Experiment in the Currents section of the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday, April 10, followed also by posting on this Web site and on Newsworks.org .

 

For other roundtable discussions and to register, Click Here 

 

Don't Forget the Cradle of Liberty Program on June 23, 2010

at the National Constitution Center

 

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Contact Us

Friends of Independence National Historical Park
143 S. 3rd Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
215-861-4971