Canyon Center to Offer Promotional Segments of Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea
2009-08-18
Countless television sets will soon highlight America’s spectacular National Park system as it will be highlighted by the Public Broadcasting Service in the new and highly anticipated Ken Burns documentary series entitled: The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.
“To honor and increase appreciation for Alabama’s NPS units and especially the Little River Canyon National Preserve, staff from Jacksonville State University and the Little River Canyon National Preserve will again partner to roll-out this long-awaited, block-buster documentary,” said Pete Conroy, Director of JSU’s Canyon Center.
To be released on September 27th the 12-hour, six-part documentary series, is directed by Burns and co-produced with his longtime friend and colleague, Dayton Duncan, who also wrote the script. It was filmed over the course of more than six years in some of nature’s most spectacular locales — from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska. The documentary is a story of people from every conceivable background — rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy. It is a story of struggle and conflict, high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration — set against breathtaking backdrops.
“A 45 minute promotional segment has been released for targeted audiences and starting on August 29th, we will present four special Saturday showings.” said John Bundy, Superintendent of the Little River Canyon National Preserve and Russell Cave National Monument. He continued, “our goal is to promote the story of the National Park Service as we promote the story of our partnership with Jacksonville State University.”
There will be no admission cost. Cookies and refreshments will be offered before the 2:00 shows which will be followed by discussion and opportunities for questions and answers regarding the Regional NPS office, the new Canyon Center and the many partnerships offered by JSU and the NPS.
For more information about The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, go to http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/ or for more information about the upcoming presentations at the Canyon Center call: 256-782-8010 (JSU) or: 256-845-9605 (NPS). A listing of show times is below.
CANYON CENTER – 472 AL Hwy 35, Fort Payne, AL 35967
Saturday August 29th at 2pm
Saturday September 12th at 2pm
Saturday September 19th at 2pm
Saturday September 26th at 2pm
Rainbow from South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park
Photo by: Craig Mellish, Florentine Films
