Community members invited to be partof Trail of Tears Work Day on July 11

WSIU Public Television invites the general public to participate in the Trail of Tears Volunteer Work Day.

The work day is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at the Crabb/Abbott farm in Pope County.

Anyone who is interested in being a part of the work day must preregister. The preregistration deadline is Thursday, today.

For more information, call 618-687-1731, extension 125.

Volunteers must be at least 12 years old to participate. An adult must accompany all children.

Volunteers also are advised to bring a sack lunch. Drinks will be provided.

Shawnee National Forest volunteer coordinator Jennifer Sublett of the Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District and Justin Dodson of the Hidden Springs Ranger District will coordinate the volunteers crews and provide guidance throughout the day.

Participants will help to restore a segment of the original trail  bed of the Trail of Tears.

Hands-on experiences highlighting the region's history and Native American heritage also are planned.

The work day is sponsored by WSIU, the U.S. Forest Service/Shawnee National Forest and the Illinois Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association.

The work day is one of several local activities planned to highlight the fall premiere of a new Ken Burns documentary series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

WSIU's local initiative, "Touch the Trail," focuses on the region's connection to the National Park Service, the National Trails System and the National Historic Trail of Tears.

In 2008, the National Park Service officially designated the Crabb/Abbott farm as a certified site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.

The farm is one of two certified sites in Illinois.

The other site is the Camp Ground Cumberland Presbyterian Church cemetery east of Anna.