Volunteers Wanted for Trails and Rails

Training will be provided soon for those interested in volunteering for theNational Park Service Trails and Rails trips aboard Amtrak’s Southwest Chief during this coming summer.

Training for new volunteers will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 20 at the Administration Building at Bent’s OldFort National Historic Site, and continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 21. New volunteers will need to attend both Friday and Saturday sessions in order to qualify for the program. Trails and Rails trips aboard the Southwest Chief will begin for the season on Sunday, May 6.

For more information about the program or to sign up for a spot in the training sessions, call Rick Wallner at 719-383-5024.

Homo for the Holidays: Candlelight Tours of Bent's Old Fort

Reservations are filling fast for Candlelight Tours of Bent’s Old Fort as
part of the site’s Traditional Holiday Celebration, Friday, December 3 and
Saturday, December 4.  Reservations are needed to secure a place on these
tours.  Only a very few slots remain for Saturday evening’s tours.  More
spaces remain for Friday night.  Tours will be limited to 25 people.  To
make reservations for the candlelight tours, phone 719-383-5026.

The park’s Holiday Celebration begins on Friday, December 3 at 6:30 p.m.
with the guided candlelight tours of the fort.  Living history interpreters
will guide groups through rooms where people of the era will be preparing
to celebrate the holidays.   After the tours, everyone is invited to stay
for caroling and authentic treats from the 1800s.  The fort will close at
9:30 p.m.

Festivities will run all day on Saturday, December 4.  Scheduled activities
include toy making, children’s games in the plaza, frontier medicine,
trading scenes, storytelling, and other living history activities.  Events
will include a piñata break and a Yule log hunt.  No reservations are
needed for the daytime activities on Saturday.  The park will close to the
public at 4:00 p.m. and then reopen for another night of candlelight tours
and holiday treats beginning at 5:30 p.m.

A living history fee is charged for the candlelight tours or to attend the
daytime Holiday Celebration.  The cost is $3.00 for visitors 13 and older
and $2.00 for ages 6 to 12.  National Park pass holders are admitted free.
Visitors are asked to dress warmly and bring a flashlight for the evening
tours.  Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site is located on Colorado
Highway 194, 8 miles east of La Junta or 15 miles west of Las Animas.   For
candlelight tour reservations, phone (719) 383-5026.  For other information
visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/beol or call the park at 719-383-5010.

Bent’s Old Fort 4th of July Celebration

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site will celebrate the birthday of America 1840s-style on Sunday, July 4. The afternoon event will feature cannon firings, a parade, speeches, games, a piñata break and a
flag give-away. The public is invited to join the staff of the fort and enjoy all the festivities.

Regular fort fees of $3 for adults (13 and older), $2 for children (ages 6 to 12) will be charged for this event, but there are no additional charges for any of the special activities. National Park passholders and those 5 and under are admitted free.

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site is located 8 miles east of La Junta or 13 miles west of Las Animas on Colorado Highway 194. The site is open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily through the summer.