Vicksburg National Military Park looking for summer junior rangers

Vicksburg National Military Park has extended the deadline to signup for Junior Ranger Camp until midnight Tuesday.

The camp is free, but space is limited to 20 applicants. Registration is required and campers will be selected by a lottery system. VNMP will notify those selected Wednesday.

The camp is open to children 8 to 12 years old to discover the history of the Civil War era by attending the 5th annual Vicksburg National Military Park Junior Ranger Summer Camp.

The camp will be held during the week of Monday, June 22 to Friday, June 26, from 9 a.m. to noon each day.

Campers will explore life during the Civil War, from the soldier to the civilian and those who fought the war on horseback. Kids will sample hard tack and Johnny cakes, march in a rifle drill, learn how cannons were fired and have at least one field trip.

This summer’s Junior Ranger Camp will explore the cultural resources of Vicksburg National Military Park through a series of demonstrations and activities led by artisans, historians, and musicians from this region.

National Park Junior Ranger Programs connect young people to their national parks through many hands-on, guided, and self-guided activities, and cultivate future generations of park stewards and explorers.

More than 800,000 children participated in the National Park Service’s Junior Ranger Program in 2014.

Applications can be printed from the park Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/vicksburgnmp.nps or picked up at the VNMP Visitor Center. For more information contact ranger David Slay at 601-636-2199.