Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-12
jamestown Festival Park
Expecting Record Crowds

State OF virginia's tribute TO
Che FIRST permanent English
settlement in the New World
at Jamestown In 1907. is en-
tering It's third major season
with every indication Of in
creasing visitor interest from
all parts Of the United States
and Canada.
Festival Park, six miles from
restored Williamsburg and open
all year to the public, adjoins
the jamestown site on Virgin
ia's James River where q small
band Of Englishmen landed TO
establish what was TO become
the United States.
The Parks extensive exhib-
its from the Festival year Of
. 1857, which marked the 350th
, anniversary Of the jamestown
! settlement. are still intact and
in some cases have been aug
mented. Since they were opened
to the public in April, 1857,
, they have been viewed by APP
proximately is million visitors.
: On the basis Of careful COM
parsons. park officials have
every expectation that attend
ance In 1859 will far surpass
that Of 1858, and may even APP
proach the totals for the
bumper year of 1857.
Consistently the most popu-
i. lar of the parks permanent
exhibits are the reproduction
of the three small sailing ships
Susan Constant, Godspeed
: and Discovery-which brought
. the colonists from England to
the edge Of the wilderness at
jamestown.
In addition to the three
ships, carefully built to their
original specifications. Festival
Park also boasts q full-size
reconstruction Of triangular
James Fort, which the colonists
, built under the direction Of
Capt. John Smith.
Two Exhibits
Two large-scale exhibit build
ings at Festival Park show the
development of English cul-
ture and heritage in the Vir-
GINA colony.
The Old World Pavilion ex-
hibits, provided by the British
Government, show the insti-
buttons and way Of life that
fiourished in England in the
nth century, and which the
jamestown settlers sought to
transplant in Virginia. The
New World Pavilion shows how
these institutions took root
and grew. and subsequently
spread to the rest Of the North
American continent.
A typical Indian lodge, such
as those used by the Virginia
Indians at the time of James,
town. has been erected on the
Festival Park grounds and is
manned during the summer
months by descendants Of the
tribe that lived here under
Chief Powhatan's rule.
During the major 1889 sea-
son, many touches Of color will
be added to the daily routine
at Festival Park. These will
include a ceremonial flag
raising each morning in the
Court Of Welcome, at the spot
where Queen Elizabeth II of
Eangiand spoke during her
1857 visit to the park.
Three times daily in James
. Fort, the guard will be changed,
CARRIED in colorful 18th century
! costumes. 1t is planned to en-
act within James Fort brief
segments from the Paul Green
drama. of jamestown, 'SThe
Founders" which in 1857 and
: 1858 was presented at full
length in Williamsburg.
On May Is the 352d anniver-
sary Of the landing will be
celebrated with brief cere-
monies both at Festival Park
. and jamestown Island. On May
II, the Virginia State Bar will
conduct a special ceremony in
the old church at Jamestown
Island to honor the establish
ment Of the common law in the
New World, at jamestown in
J 1907.
Flag Raising
. On the Fourth of July, a spe-
/, cial ceremony at Festival Park
will mark the first raising here
Of the Nations new 49-star flag.
An Alaskan dignitary is ex-
pected to be present to do the
: honors, and also to raise Alas
: ka's State flag officially in its
: new position within the Gallery
Of States that rings the Mall at
: Festival Park.
|. Since Jamestown may prop
erly be called the Nations
birthplace, the Gallery of
! States flies the flags of every
State and territory of the
. Union. Prior to Alaska's adj
J mission as a State last Deem
Der. its flag flew among the
territorial banners. 1t will now
be moved forward to a place
among the State banners
When Hawaii is officially pro-
claimed as a State, its flag also
!, will be moved forward.
Aside from its exhibits, Fes-
tival Park includes a large,
shaded picnic area which may
be used by visitors. On the
FLORIDA.