Park staff invites the public to celebrate 100 Years of the National Park Service with upcoming events on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Day time activities will be held at the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station, on B Street in downtown Talkeetna. At 12:30 pm, a clean-up along the Susitna River will begin from the Ranger Station. Later in the afternoon, rangers will present mountaineering displays, demonstrations, Jr. Ranger activities, and more from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at the Ranger Station.
That same evening, the Alaskan premiere of the documentary film Voyagers Without Trace, will be shown at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar, at 7:00 pm. The film has received multiple distinguished awards, including those from the Wild and Scenic Film Festival and the Banff Mountain Film Festival. The events and feature film are free to the public.
The documentary by award-winning filmmaker, Ian McCluskey, opens with the adventure story of a French trio who were the first to kayak down the immense Green and Colorado rivers in 1938. A second expedition in 2012 captures the essence of contemporary, free-spirited exploration as the filmmaker and his two companions set off down the whitewater to search for any remaining traces of the previous journey along the beautiful river ways.
Filmmaker, Ian McCluskey had this to say about the film’s Alaskan debut, “Playing the film there evokes the spirit of adventure, celebrates wild and scenic lands, and encourages people to get out into the wild places to have adventures of their own."
Those who cannot attend the showing have another great opportunity to view the film on Aug. 15, 2016, at the Denali Visitor Center, at 7:00 pm. The film exhibition is the August selection for the park’s summer centennial movie series, Inspiring Park Connections.
Additional information on the film and the trailer is available at www.frenchkayakfilm.com. A calendar of upcoming events in Denali National Park is also available.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
