Celebrate Labor Day at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site

Activities include vintage baseball game, concert by "bluesman" Willie Houston and special preview screening of Ken Burns?s THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA?S BEST IDEA

          On Monday, September 7, Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site will host an all-day Labor Day celebration.  Fun family activities will take place from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The highlight of the afternoon will be an exciting vintage baseball match between the Camp Creek Cloud Busters from Colorado Springs and the Colorado Territorial All-Stars from Denver.  The first pitch will be at 1 p.m.  Picnics are welcome and hot dogs, ice cream and other treats will be available for purchase at the Heritage Shop or the on-site vendors.

          Special this year to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Garden of the Gods, the event will continue into the evening with a free concert at 5:30 p.m. by "bluesman" Willie Houston followed by a special outdoor preview screening of the new Ken Burns documentary series for PBS, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." 

          "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" will debut on Rocky Mountain PBS (RMPBS-KTSC Channel 8.1) on Sunday, September 27.  It is a six part documentary series that tells the story of a uniquely American idea: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. 

          In many ways, the story of "The National Parks" parallels that of our city parks and is especially relevant as Colorado Springs celebrates 100 years of preserving, restoring, maintaining and interpreting the natural and cultural resources of the Garden of the Gods in 2009.

          Admission prices from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. are: Adults $6; Seniors (55+) $4; Teens (13-18) $4; Youth (6 - 12) $2.  Admission is FREE after 5 p.m.  Rock Ledge Ranch is located at the east entrance to Garden of the Gods on 30th Street. Visit SpringsGov.com or RockLedgeRanch.com for more information, or call 578-6777.

          For more information about "The National Parks" documentary film series, contact Amy Rusert with Rocky Mountain PBS at amyrusert@rmpbs.org or 719.251.2595.