PORT ANGELES — The Olympic National Park Visitor Center on Tuesday will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service with a free listening party featuring park-themed stories and memories from Clallam County residents.
The party, which will be open to the public, will be at 7 p.m. at the visitor center, 3002 Mount Angeles Road.
The listening party also will celebrate the launch of “Listen Up! Stories from the Northwest Corner,” an ongoing library project that focuses on collecting and archiving oral histories from Clallam County residents.
During its first interviews about local experiences in national parks, the “Listen Up!” team recorded 16 stories from residents in Port Angeles, Clallam Bay and Forks.
Those stories — including what it was like to see President Franklin D. Roosevelt visit Port Angeles — and more will be shared during the celebration.
For those unable to attend the centennial listening party, park-inspired “Listen Up!” stories will be available all summer long at a listening station housed at the visitor center.
The National Park Service turned 100 on April 25.
“Listen Up!” is an ongoing program inspired by StoryCorps, an organization focused on the collecting, sharing and preserving of oral histories.
Interviews are conducted with the participant and an interview partner.
The completed recordings will be archived and available for listening on the Washington Rural Heritage website.
To learn more about the “Listen Up!” project, email listenup@nols.org or ask library staff about upcoming opportunities to record your story.
To celebrate the centennial and reintroduce the national parks and the work of the National Park Service to a new generation of Americans — inviting them to visit, explore and get involved — a campaign titled “Find Your Park” is currently in full swing in collaboration with the National Park Foundation.
More information is available at www.FindYourPark.com and the Olympic National Park website, www.nps.gov/olym.
