The 100th anniversary of Hot Springs National Park (HSNP) will be celebrated with monthly and year-long events throughout 2021. The public is invited to attend any and all of the family-friendly and FREE events. All are interactive, educational, and full of opportunities to connect with, not just Hot Springs National Park rangers, but other park partners as well. Several, like the Junior Ranger Day and Thermal Springs Festival, are geared toward children of all ages. Other events, like BARK Ranger Day, are K9 focused and all well-behaved and leashed dogs are welcome to attend.
Check the park’s website, www.nps.gov/hosp, in both the “Calendar” and “Centennial” section. Additionally, events will be shared on the park’s Facebook Facebook.com/HotSpringsNPS and Instagram accounts www.Instagram.com/HotSpringsNPS.
YEAR LONG EVENTS
Iron Ranger Challenge: To join the Iron Ranger challenge, log 100 miles of biking, walking, paddling, or hiking on any public lands in Arkansas throughout 2021. Once you’ve completed your 100 miles, mail or email the log to HSNP and they will send a commemorative patch and certificate for becoming an Iron Ranger.
Monthly Photo Contest: The monthly photo contests will be released each month on social media and on the webpage. Follow the theme for the month, then submit photos to the park at hosp_anniversary@nps.gov, or the hashtags: #HotSprings100 and #HotSpringsPhotoContest. Monthly winners will be featured on the park’s website banner.
MONTHLY EVENTS
MARCH 4 marks the park’s official 100th anniversary as a national park. Join the celebration of the official birthday with community partners and others. Remember the past and look forward to the future for the next 100 years.
APRIL 20, Hot Springs Reservation Day. To celebrate the 189th anniversary as a federal reservation, HSNP will offer guided hikes and specialty tours.
MAY 1, BioBlitz. Join the park’s science team for a day of exploration and learning. Explore the park and document the flora and fauna. Collecting this data all at once will give us a greater understanding of the biological diversity of the park during this time of year. Participants will receive t-shirts and training.
JUNE 12, 1921 Block Party. The roaring ‘20s will be back in full swing downtown and at the ark! Guests are encouraged to dress in their best 1920s costumes and join in on costume contests and themed workshops. Take specialized tours of Bathhouse Row, enjoy music, play games, and visit participating downtown shops for specials. Let’s party like it’s 1921!
JULY 3, BARK Ranger Day. HSNP is one of the most pet friendly parks in the NPS system. Together with K9 ranger, Konyak, local pet shelters, stores, and trainers, the park will host a dog-lovers weekend dedicated to embracing the BARK Ranger principles and celebrating our furry companions. The day will include demos, workshops for dog owners (and dogs), BARK Ranger swearing-in ceremonies, and will end with a BARK Ranger Parade down the Grand Promenade.
AUGUST 7, Junior Ranger Day. Junior Rangers are the next generation of stewards for our national parks. This family-focused day will be full of hands-on activities, specialized workshops, guided hikes, and collaborations with surrounding agencies and parks. Junior Rangers of all ages will have the opportunity to earn a commemorative centennial junior ranger badge throughout 2021.
SEPTEMBER 18, Thermal Springs Festival.
This family friendly event will be an educational celebration of the very foundation of the park: the thermal springs! Designed as a workshop with interactive demonstrations, booths from local agencies, behind the scenes water tours, and other water-based activities, this will be an event to remember and could be the beginning of a new tradition in Hot Springs.
OCTOBER 16, History’s Mysteries: Dig in to Archeology. Join the park archeology and history team and partner agencies in a day-long event to learn more about history’s mysteries and the role archeologists serve in the park. There will be archeological displays, opportunities to get dirty, hands-on workshops, and games to solve some of the park’s mysteries!
NOVEMBER 13, Park Rx Weekend. In conjunction with the Spa City Running Festival and the Güdrun Mountain Bike Festival, the park will host a public health fair. With booths, health information, scheduled walks, rides, runs, yoga classes, movement arts, and all things health and fitness, visitors will be inspired to get moving and bring to life one of the foundations of the parks’ inception: health & wellness.
For interviews or more information about the park’s centennial, please contact the Centennial coordinator, hosp_anniversary@nps.gov. Visit www.nps.gov/hosp, Facebook Facebook.com/HotSpringsNPS, and Instagram www.Instagram.com/HotSpringsNPS.
