Spring is always a dynamic time of year, and 2008 is no exception. Here in Adams County the apple orchards are ablaze in white blossoms. The red bud on the Battlefield is amazing, especially on Little Round Top and the Wheatfield. The dogwoods are in full bloom on the field and throughout town as well.
New signage is being installed throughout the Park to mark road names and the Auto Tour Route, so hopefully it will be a little easier to find your way. Right now we still have some construction happening close to home on Reynolds and Buford Avenues. It will be all over soon and the Day 1 area will be better than ever. The new bridge across the Railroad Cut is coming along well. We're told it will be completed by May 18.
On Buford Avenue, the 6th New York Cavalry monument (Col. Devin) is finally being rebuilt! As you may know, it was struck by lightning last October (which Molly was the first to discover when we went for our evening walk). It had to be partially disassembled as the strike blew out all the mortar on the top half of the monument. They are making quick work of putting the pieces back together, and we hope to see it complete again very soon! Here's a picture taken today showing their progress.
Its been nothing but rave reviews for the new Visitor's Center and Museum which opened on April 14. Visitorship is soaring to record numbers for April. The Park Service reported last week that the average visitor stay in the new facility is 4 hours, up from 90 minutes in the old VC.
In other news, we learned this week that the Park Service has had to push back the estimated opening date of the Will's House from November 2008 to February 2009. As the renovation has progressed more deterioration was discovered than had originally been anticipated, and it will take a bit more time to get everything back into shape before the building can be open to the public. The Grand Opening of the new VC and the re-opening of the Cyclorama is still set for September 2008.
With all the Spring rains I have had my hands full keeping the grass cut the past few weeks. We are gearing up to start planting annuals in the garden this weekend as well, with my Mom coming to lend her green thumb. We hope you'll get a chance to come experience Spring in Gettysburg with us! Have a great week,
Todd
2 comments:
Hi Christine and Todd
I love checking out the Innsider and check it just about every day. It's a great way to keep in touch with what's going on in town and the park. Can't wait to visit again. Keep up the good work with the Innsider and we'll see you guys and Molly soon! Annette and Emil, Austintown OH
Hi Annette!
Thanks for posting a comment and for reading our blog...we're making a determined effort to post more often, May sort of got away from us! It is wonderful to hear from you and I hope you are both doing well and having a great spring.
C
Post a Comment