(TUPELO, MS)-The Natchez Trace Parkway will welcome Public Historian Brian Mast to the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center on June 29, 2013. Mast, from the Black Belt Museum at the University of West Alabama, will present a 45-minute Junior Ranger program at 10:00 a.m. entitled “We Want YOU for the French Marines!” Following the program, from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., Mast will share his knowledge of the time period with visitors of all ages through a display of French Marine equipment.
Junior Rangers will experience life as a French Marine who was part of the 1736 campaign near modern-day Tupelo. The children will be transformed into French Marine recruits as they learn about the life of a soldier in the 18th century. Recruits will then be outfitted for campaign and taught the same drill as the French Marines, marching in lines and “firing” wooden muskets. Junior Ranger programs, which cover different topics and are presented each Saturday in June and July, are most appropriate for children aged 7-12, but anyone is welcome.
From 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., Mast will display equipment used by the French Marines, share information with visitors about the Black Belt Museum, and answer any questions.
This event is free to the public. The Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center is located along the Parkway at Milepost 266, near Tupelo, Mississippi. For additional information, please call the visitor center at: 662-680-4027 or 1-800-305-7417.
