First off, the park is still open, and at our normal
operating schedule of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. Our visitor center is
closed in accordance with CDC, state and local guidance, however, we do
have staff available for security and safety. We have bathroom facilities available,
and the heart of the park - the Carver trail, is still open up for exercise, enjoyment and enlightenment. Although we certainly miss the school groups, and events like "Art in the Park," it is gratifying to meet a growing band of "trail heads" coming in. We are planning for our summer operations, and we continue to provide a healthy, safe and inspiring environment for our visitors.
It is National
Park Week, and we and over 400 National Parks across the nation are
celebrating our legacy of preserving and interpreting these significant
natural, historical and cultural places, and the meanings they hold for
Americans and the world. Although over 100 parks are closed, and most, like
ours are open with closed visitor centers, the NPS is rocking social media.
Please check out the National Park Service Facebook page for a wealth of
creativity. On our park Facebook we have a week-long tribute to our
dedicated NPS volunteers, puzzles and trivia for all ages, our amazing archive
of Storycorps
recordings, with much more to come before the celebration ends on Sunday.
Please visit, and LIKE our page.
The
Carver Birthplace Association bookstore at the park is, unfortunately, closed,
but they are seeking grants to help rebound from the loss of sales. Unfortunately,
the naturalization ceremony originally planned for May 6 has been postponed. We
will likely re-schedule for October, and, when we do we welcome everyone to
come out when we honor these new citizens as Americans. Thank you to MSSU,
Heartland Opera Theater, the Carver Birthplace Association and all our partners
for their help with the event.
Also I wanted to mention that Reverend John Wilkins, the gospel
blues artist who has thrilled us on many Carver Days, remains in ICU in a
Memphis hospital with the COVID-19 virus. He is now, thankfully, in stable
condition, and we continue to pray for his recovery. Please see here for a rousing
performance from the good Reverend from a previous Carver Day.
On an uplifting note, one of our rangers, Grace Carter, will be graduating from high school in May, and her dedication and hard work is paying off! Please see this Joplin Globe article
on Amazing Grace! Congratulations Ranger Carter!
Although there is much uncertainty right now, it is encouraging to know that there are so many generous minds out there sharing insight, advice and resources, in very creative ways. I just now read a quote from Carver that struck me as fitting. "The world is looking for creative minds. Creative genius is
what makes people respect you. It’s not a color question, it’s a question of
whether you have what the world wants. We can conquer if we will only do it.” We thank everyone for their webinars, teleconferences, ideas, critiques, well-wishes, and creativity that help us "do it" during this challenging time.
Please reach out if there is anything we can help you with, and
please be safe, and well! We hope to see you all soon!
