Washington Monument reopens May 12 with special guests WASHINGTON – The National Park Service and the Trust for the National Mall today announced that Al Roker of the TODAY Show will join Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis, and philanthropist David Rubenstein, and National Mall & Memorial Parks Superintendent Bob Vogel at the upcoming celebration of the reopening of the Washington Monument on May 12. Roker will serve as master of ceremonies, and will also be joined by American Idol Season 12 winner Candice Glover, the Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps, the United States Navy Band, and the Boy and Girl Choristers of Washington National Cathedral Choir. The official reopening event is open to the public and will take place on Monday, May 12 beginning at 10 am on the southwest grounds of the Washington Monument. The 555-foot obelisk honoring America’s first president is reopening to the public for the first time since August 23, 2011, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake caused significant damage to the structure and forced its closure. “The construction of the Washington Monument began in 1848 when private citizens raised money to build a memorial to honor our nation’s first president, and now it has been repaired thanks in part to the generosity of another private citizen, David Rubenstein, and the efforts of the Trust for the National Mall,” Secretary Jewell said. “This enduring spirit of public-private partnerships has made it possible for visitors to once again enjoy the Monument and its unmatched view of Washington, D.C.” Public tours of the Washington Monument will begin at 1 pm on May 12 after the reopening ceremony, and tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 8:30 a.m. that morning at the Washington Monument Lodge on 15th Street, between Madison and Jefferson Drives.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 17:40:00 +0000
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