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Flat Hat Award trip➢

Each year, the NPTC recognizes a park ranger or volunteer for outstanding service. Club members nominate individuals who made their park visits memorable. The club officers host a meetup at the winning park unit. In April, we travelled to Wolf Trap National Park For The Performing Arts for the award ceremony for Ranger Will. On this mini road trip, Patty and I squeezed in 5 new NPS units.

• Fort Washington Park
• Thomas Stone NHS
• Piscataway Park
• Wolf Trap National Park For The Performing Arts
• Manassas NBP

Wolf Trap National Park For The Performing Arts➢

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Virginia, is the only national park in the United States dedicated to presenting performing arts. It offers a venue where audiences can enjoy live music, theater, dance, and opera in a stunning outdoor setting.

The park’s origins trace back to Catherine Filene Shouse, a philanthropist and arts advocate who donated land, funds, and the original Filene Center to the federal government in 1966. Wolf Trap opened in 1971 as a collaborative effort between the National Park Service and the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, which handles programming and fundraising.

Ranger Will Rifenbark won the NPTC’s Flat Hat Award for 2023. We met the club members at the ranger station and attended the award presentation in front of the Filene amphitheater. afterwards we took a few group photos before continuing on to the next stop.

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Location: 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, Virginia
Designation: National Historic Site
Date designated/established: October 15, 1966
Date of my visit: April 27, 2024