Diamond, MO — George Washington Carver National Monument is pleased to announce the park’s annual Carver Day celebration to be held on Saturday, July 13, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to celebrate the life and legacy of George Washington Carver and the establishment of the national monument in his honor.
This year we are commemorating the 76th anniversary of Carver’s passing and the subsequent establishment of the National Park on July 14, 1943, the first one to honor an African American. The event is free of charge.
Guest speakers include Dana Chandler, Tuskegee University archivist and associate professor. Chandler is the co-author of To Raise Up the Man Farthest Down: Tuskegee University’s Advancement in Human Health, 1881-1987. He will share information about the extraordinary Carver archival collection at the university, including some rare items that provide insight into Carver’s Work. We also welcome Lucy Phelps, Fort Scott Community College adjunct history instructor. Phelps examines the experience of enslaved women through the lens of motherhood, discussing aspects of their life including the labor they performed, care they provided their children, and the devastating effect of forced separation from their children. Her research contributes to the history of enslaved women as well as their experiences residing in Missouri.
Former Executive Director of the Carver Birthplace Association Paxton Williams will return to reprise his role as George Washington Carver in his original one-person show Listening to the Still Small Voice. Like Carver, Paxton is a graduate of Iowa State University, and he has performed as Carver hundreds of times, as well as Othello, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
Music is a huge part of the Carver Day fun. Musical performers this year include artist, actor and Delta blues powerhouse Clarence “King Clarentz” Brewer from Springfield, Missouri, who will play a rare solo set of roots classics from the likes of Son House, Bukka White and Duke Ellington, and provide background into the music
. Also sharing the music stage will be multi-instrumentalist and gospel vocalist Arlecia Elkamil; and, gospel greats Sensational Wonders, and local band InCourage. Local choirs will also be performing.
Activities are scheduled throughout the day, including exhibitors, musical performances, guided tours, educational programs, children’s activities, Junior Ranger station, and much more. The Diamond Lions Club will provide a food concession.
Administered by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, George Washington Carver National Monument preserves the birthplace and childhood home of George Washington Carver, scientist, educator, and humanitarian. The park is located two miles west of Diamond, Missouri on Highway V, then ¼ mile south on Carver Road. For more information, please call the park at 417-325-4151 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., visit the park website at www.nps.gov/gwca, or visit the park Facebook page.
