Winners of the Voyageurs National Park 5th Annual National Park Week Kids Art Contest, first Kids in Parks Program will be celebrated Saturday along with a National Park Week open house.
More than 100 children entered the annual contest. This year the theme was “Destination Voyageurs — Many things to see and do”. The celebration will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. The children’s art will be on display with the first places on special display. Participants may play a game of wildlife bingo, attend the award ceremony, have cake, and stencil a bandana of their favorite activity to do in the park.
Awards will be given to the following contest winners:
Preschool/kindergarten: 1st place — Isaac Dahl, home school; 2nd place — Mason Brown, Indus School; 3rd place — Erin Przybylski, St. Thomas School.
First and second grade: 1st place — Mary Dahl, home school; 2nd — Allison Przybylski, St. Thomas School; 3rd — Ryne Glover, St. Thomas School.
Third and fourth grade: 1st place — Adrain Cobenais, Indus School; 2nd — Hailey Norstad, Falls Elementary; 3rd — Hannah Dahlin, Falls Elementary; 3rd — Allison Carrigan, Falls Elementary.
Fifth and sixth grade: 1st place — Kathleen Klow, Falls Elementary; 2nd — Candace Morff, Indus School; 3rd — Ashley Jonson, Indus School; 3rd — Alexandra Knoff, Indus School.
Voyageurs National Park is celebrating the fifth year of the Kids Art Contest with the introduction of the Kids in Parks Program. The first place winner of the fifth and the grade art contest, Kathleen Klow, will get to participate in the Kids in Parks Program. The goal of the Kids in Parks Program is to share a park experience with a family from one of the park’s surrounding communities.
The family will get a free weekend stay in the park, free tickets aboard the Otter Tour Boat, free tickets aboard the North Canoe Voyage in exchange for spending two hours with a park naturalist, one hour with a park ranger and do one volunteer project during their stay. Klow will showcase her art work and help give a presentation of her stay in the park to the public at the Aug. 15 Special Speaker Series at Woodenfrog State Forest Campground Refectory.
National Park Week will be celebrated 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center with games, special prizes, and refreshments.
Scheduled Activities include:
11:30 a.m. — Wildlife bingo with park Naturalist Melissa Dahl and a viewing of artwork.
Noon — Award ceremony when winners of the 5th Annual Kids Art Contest winners and the 1st Annual Kids in Parks winner will be recognized.
12:30 p.m. — A slice of a giant cake is available.
1 p.m. — Visit the Junior Ranger table (5 years and under) called the Beaver Club
1 p.m. — Stencil a favorite park activity on a bandana and take it home.
Prizes and refreshments for the Annual Kid’s Art Contest and the Kids in Parks program are provided by the Friends of Voyageurs National Park and Lake States Interpretive Association.
National Park Week is proclaimed each year by the President of the United States to recognize and celebrate our national parks. America’s National Park System contains living examples of some of the best things our nation has to offer — magnificent natural landscapes and places that reflect our varied, yet inter-related heritage.
Looking for suggestions of what to do in the park this spring or summer? Stop by the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, open Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., or call 286-5258.