Videos on bathhouse to mark anniversary
Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2008
HOT SPRINGS — The Lamar Bath House will be the centerpiece of this year’s Founder’s Day celebration, which marks the anniversary of the National Park Service. The public can tour the bathhouse from 10 a. m.-3 p. m. Monday, where Hot Springs National Park staff members will preview “Hot Springs National Park In-Depth,” a series of short videos created by students of the Fountain Lake High School EAST Lab.
“The videos about the resources of the park are a great asset to our interpretive program,” Superintendent Josie Fernandez said in a news release. “We were very excited to have these talented students working with us.”
Park staff members approached the lab about getting someone to videotape their guided tours for podcasts, which could then be linked to the park’s Web site, said EAST lab facilitator Richard Warrington.
Students spent the summer making video recordings of the tours, which they produced into about 35 podcasts.
Holly Culpepper, 17, a 12 thgrader at Fountain Lake, was a videographer for the project.
“The project was very, very interesting,” she said. “We got to see a lot of the history of Hot Springs that we wouldn’t have otherwise. I really enjoyed it.”
Their Web master, EAST lab student Chloe Pratt, will link the videos to the national park Web site for viewing by the public or downloading to a hand-held video player to use as a self-guided tour.
Topics include the architecture of the bathhouses, what makes the water hot, physical culture in the Fordyce Bath House gymnasium and the park’s curatorial collections. Students who worked on the videos will be on hand to answer questions about the project Monday.
In addition to the video previews, park rangers will provide free guided tours, departing from the Lamar lobby at 10: 30 a. m. and 11: 30 a. m., and the Friends of the Fordyce and Hot Springs National Park Inc. will serve light refreshments in the lobby.
Some of the park’s permanent collection of original artwork, created from the park’s artistin-residence program, also will be on display at the Lamar. The program began in June 2004 and offers professional artists from around the country the opportunity to visit Hot Springs National Park and stay at the park cabin at Gulpha Gorge for up to one month.
Founder’s Day, also known as the National Park Service anniversary day, is an annual nationwide event held on Aug. 25.
On Aug. 25, 1916, President Wilson signed legislation creating the National Park Service. The agency now administers more than 390 sites across the country.
“Each year on Founder’s Day, Aug. 25, the National Park Service celebrates our long history of preservation and stewardship,” Fernandez said in the release. “In keeping with this theme, we invite you to see the recent renovations that have been completed by the park preservation crew.”
More information may be obtained by calling the Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center at (501 ) 620-6715.
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