Smile.news

Author: Jacob

  • At Sandy Hook, Junior Rangers Build a Lighthouse Story Together

    At Sandy Hook, Junior Rangers Build a Lighthouse Story Together

    This Monday afternoon, a 262-year-old New Jersey landmark becomes the starting point for a hands-on Junior Ranger adventure. At Sandy Hook, young visitors can connect with the lighthouse’s history through a guided tour, a creative building activity and a look around the grounds.

    A lighthouse built to guide ships

    First lit on June 11, 1764, Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in the United States, according to the National Park Service. Forty-three New York merchants petitioned for a lighthouse after shipwreck losses near Sandy Hook threatened trade into New York Harbor. Today, the tower still serves as a working lighthouse, with a light maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.

    Junior Rangers explore the grounds around Sandy Hook Lighthouse with New York Harbor beyond the dunes.
    Editorial illustration

    History you can build together

    The National Park Service’s Sandy Hook Lighthouse Builders program is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 12, at 4 p.m. The free, 90-minute program invites Junior Rangers to connect with the site through guided discussion, a tour of the grounds and interlocking bricks supplied for the activity. The event listing asks visitors to reserve a spot through Eventbrite.

    A family and park ranger build a lighthouse model beside the Sandy Hook Lighthouse on a sunny autumn afternoon.
    Editorial illustration

    The activity turns a familiar monument into a shared family project: notice the lighthouse, learn why it stands at the entrance to New York Harbor, then recreate its shape one brick at a time. The lighthouse itself is a powerful starting point for that conversation. Its first light helped ships navigate the waters near Sandy Hook, and it has continued operating for more than two and a half centuries.

    Make the visit a Junior Ranger day

    Gateway’s Junior Ranger program at Jamaica Bay offers another way for children to explore park places and earn a badge through activities. For young builders visiting Sandy Hook, the lighthouse program pairs that same spirit of learning by doing with a structure families can see up close.

    Check the National Park Service event page for current reservation and program details. Learn more about the history of Sandy Hook Lighthouse and Gateway’s Junior Ranger program before heading out.

  • Bandelier’s Fall Fiesta Shares Pueblo Dances and Diné Weaving

    Bandelier’s Fall Fiesta Shares Pueblo Dances and Diné Weaving

    At Bandelier National Monument, the Fall Fiesta makes room for visitors to encounter living arts and traditions through dance, weaving and conversation. The two-day gathering on October 10 and 11 brings Pueblo dance groups and Diné artists to the park’s visitor center in northern New Mexico.

    Editorial illustration of visitors learning together at Bandelier’s autumn Fall Fiesta

    Sunday’s schedule names Picuris Pueblo Dance Group performances at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by Cloud Eagle Dance Group from Jemez Pueblo at 2:30 p.m. The National Park Service also lists ranger-guided Pueblo Loop walks, a Junior Ranger activity table and talks connected with Hubbell Trading Post. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the visitor center, according to the National Park Service event schedule.

    A weaving demonstration invites questions

    Diné weaver Tonita Yazzie is scheduled to demonstrate weaving throughout both days. Diné trader Wallace James Jr. is leading rug talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., sharing the weaving process, history, symbolism and artistry of Navajo rugs, according to Western National Parks’ event listing.

    Editorial illustration of an artisan demonstrating yarn on a hand loom

    The rug show is the first stop of Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site’s 2026–2027 tour of the Southwest. Handwoven Navajo rugs and sterling silver jewelry are part of the event, with visitors able to learn about the works while browsing. The talks and demonstrations are free and open to all ages.

    Pairing those demonstrations with Pueblo dance performances and park walks gives the weekend several ways to learn: by watching artists at work, listening to a trader’s account of a woven object, or joining a ranger on the Pueblo Loop. The fiesta’s schedule places those activities in the same visitor-center setting, where families and other guests can move between programs.

    Traditions meet a landscape shaped by generations

    Bandelier’s event page connects the fiesta with the traditions of people who have called the canyons home. The monument’s Pueblo Loop Trail begins behind the visitor center, giving visitors a nearby route through the landscape around the gathering.

    Editorial illustration of Bandelier’s autumn canyon landscape and Pueblo Loop path

    For visitors arriving on Sunday, the schedule offers a clear path through the day: the Junior Ranger table opens at 9:30 a.m., a guided Pueblo Loop walk begins at 10:30 a.m., and the first Picuris Pueblo Dance Group performance starts at 11 a.m. The afternoon brings another Picuris performance, a historic-district tour and the Jemez Pueblo dance group.

    The Fall Fiesta is a chance to meet the people and practices that give this place its continuing cultural life. Bandelier’s program centers artists, traders, dancers and park interpreters as they share knowledge with visitors in the landscape where those traditions endure.

    Program details are drawn from the National Park Service’s October 8 event update and Western National Parks’ event listing.

  • Philadelphia Coworkers Turn a Day of Service Into a Playground Refresh

    Philadelphia Coworkers Turn a Day of Service Into a Playground Refresh

    A playground in Philadelphia got a day of attention from people whose regular work supports the Navy’s supply mission. NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support civilian employees and military volunteers joined a community service project on Sept. 11, bringing a little extra care to a neighborhood play space.

    The service day is the focus of “Beyond the Gate,” a NAVSUP WSS account of how coworkers spent time outside their usual workplace to support the community around them. The story names civilian employees Gwen Kalimon and Diego Reynoso among the team members who took part.

    For neighbors, a refreshed playground is a practical gift: a welcoming place for children to play and for families to spend time outdoors. For the volunteers, the project offered a shared task with a visible result. Their day connected colleagues across roles through a simple act of local service.

    Paint and gardening supplies beside a freshly painted playground bench, illustrating the hands-on work of a community service day
    Hands-on care can make a neighborhood play space feel ready for another day of use. Editorial illustration.

    NAVSUP WSS supports the Navy’s fleet through its work with weapons systems and supply. The Philadelphia service project brought that team together in a different setting, with community improvement as the shared goal. The agency’s account describes the effort as a chance to strengthen the team behind the warfighter while serving people close to home.

    Projects like this can leave more than a tidy space behind. They create an opportunity for coworkers to contribute side by side, and they give a neighborhood a place that invites play, conversation and time together. In Philadelphia, a September day of service turned that idea into a hands-on community effort.

    Families enjoying a refreshed Philadelphia playground beside flower beds and a clean path, an editorial illustration of the community space
    A neighborhood playground brings families and neighbors together. Editorial illustration.

    Based on reporting by NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support. The accompanying scenes are editorial illustrations, not documentary photographs.

  • Fort Bragg’s Connected Champions Build a Field Day Around Every Child

    Fort Bragg’s Connected Champions Build a Field Day Around Every Child

    Soccer balls, putting games and a chorus of sideline cheers gave Fort Bragg’s Connected Champions a lively rhythm. Held Sept. 19 at Woodland Park, the field day brought military children, families, community partners and volunteers together for sports designed to give every child a way to take part.

    Editorial illustration of children and volunteer buddies sharing a soccer game at a sunny community field day
    Editorial illustration: Children share a soccer game with volunteers at a community field day.

    The event was hosted by the Army Community Service Exceptional Family Member Program Family Support team. Connected Champions welcomed all military children and selected activities so participants with different skill levels could join in and shine, according to the U.S. Army report published through DVIDS.

    For children who needed extra support, the EFMP team worked with ACS Installation Volunteer Services to pair them with dedicated volunteer “buddies.” Those partners helped make the field a place for shared play, encouragement and friendly competition as children chased soccer balls and tried golf-style putting games.

    Play created room for connection

    Parents also found opportunities to connect while the games unfolded. The DVIDS account says they met with agencies offering family resources and with other parents who understood the experience of raising children in military families. Those conversations helped strengthen local relationships alongside the activity stations.

    Editorial illustration of a child and volunteer buddy taking turns at a putting game during a park field day
    Editorial illustration: A child and volunteer buddy take turns at a friendly putting game.

    Connected Champions brought several parts of a community together around the children: Army Community Service staff, volunteers, partner agencies and families. The format made room for each child’s own pace, while the shared games gave everyone something to cheer.

    Editorial illustration of parents speaking with community resource volunteers beside a park sports field
    Editorial illustration: Parents meet community resource volunteers beside a field-day activity.

    Organizers hope to make Connected Champions an annual tradition at Fort Bragg. Its first outing paired a simple idea—sports for children and families—with the practical support of volunteer buddies and community partners, creating a day centered on participation and connection.

    Source: U.S. Army Community Service report on Connected Champions, published by DVIDS.

  • Allen Shell Brings Doughnuts and Neighborly Help to Fort Sill’s Retiree Days

    Allen Shell Brings Doughnuts and Neighborly Help to Fort Sill’s Retiree Days

    Every September, retired Soldiers, their families and the people who support them return to Fort Sill for a few days of practical help and easy fellowship. For retired Army Lt. Col. Allen Shell, one detail has become part of the welcome: he brings doughnuts for early arrivals.

    Shell has volunteered with the Fort Sill Retiree Council for 18 years. The annual Retiree Appreciation Days gathering gives longtime retirees a chance to reconnect and share what they have learned with people beginning their own transition. Shell’s tradition of arriving with doughnuts is one small way he makes the morning feel neighborly.

    Retirees and neighbors greet one another at a welcoming community resource fair, with doughnuts on a table nearby
    Editorial illustration

    Fort Sill held its 48th annual Retiree Appreciation Days on Sept. 17 and 18, 2026, under the theme “Soldier for Life: A Lifetime Commitment to Service.” The two-day program brought together retirees, future retirees, surviving spouses and family members for information, services and recognition. Fort Sill Public Affairs reports the event typically welcomes 400 to 600 people from Oklahoma, Arkansas and other states.

    The Sept. 17 open house gathered about 75 to 80 organizations and service providers at Rinehart Fitness Center. Attendees could speak directly with government agencies, health-care teams and community partners about benefits, identification cards, legal questions and other retirement resources. Medical personnel administered 80 flu shots, while dental staff provided 75 screenings and educational encounters.

    A retiree talks with a volunteer at a resource table during a community service fair
    Editorial illustration

    Those conversations help turn a large event into a useful point of connection. Retirees can meet the people who answer their questions, find services in one place and compare notes with others who have navigated similar transitions. Shell described the gathering as a chance for people from several states to link up and share information.

    For Shell, the doughnuts are part of a longer practice of showing up. He says the people and organizations at Fort Sill have helped him, and volunteering is his way of giving back. Each year, familiar faces return alongside new attendees, making space for both renewed friendships and fresh introductions.

    A volunteer sets out doughnuts and coffee as retirees arrive and greet one another
    Editorial illustration

    The schedule also makes room for celebration. Retirees and family members gathered for a luncheon on Sept. 18, followed by Fort Sill’s monthly retirement ceremony. Together, the open house, lunch and ceremony connect people at different stages of military retirement and keep the community in touch.

    Fort Sill’s annual gathering reflects the Army’s broader Retirement Services Program, which supports retirees and their families with information about benefits and continuing ties to the Army community. The official Army benefits guide describes Retiree Appreciation Days as a way to keep retired Soldiers and families informed while fostering goodwill between retired and currently serving communities.

    At Fort Sill, that welcome can begin with a useful conversation, a familiar face or a doughnut set out early. Shell’s 18-year volunteer tradition is a reminder that community care often grows through small gestures repeated year after year.

    Sources: Fort Sill Public Affairs via DVIDS; U.S. Army Retirement Services Program.

  • Logan Wall Finds a New Career Chapter at Anniston Army Depot

    Logan Wall Finds a New Career Chapter at Anniston Army Depot

    For Logan Wall, a career transition brought his skills back to a familiar part of Alabama. After seven years in the U.S. Air Force, he used a SkillBridge internship at Anniston Army Depot to train for civilian security work—and became the depot’s first SkillBridge intern to move into a civilian position there.

    Editorial illustration of two coworkers welcoming a new colleague at a depot entrance in warm Alabama daylight
    Editorial illustration of a new career chapter taking shape at a depot entrance.

    A path back to Alabama

    Wall grew up a little more than an hour from Anniston. While exploring SkillBridge locations, he focused on Alabama and found an opportunity at the depot. He had served as an Air Force air transportation specialist for seven years, traveling to 16 countries, and wanted his next role to offer a familiar structure.

    “I wanted a job that was structured like the military,” Wall told Army writer Pachari Middleton.

    Learning the job, then stepping into it

    At the depot’s Directorate of Emergency Services, Wall trained for a security position at the entrance. Deputy director Johnnie Whitehead said the team created a training plan to prepare interns for that work. After separating from the Air Force, Wall applied for a civilian position with the department and joined the staff.

    Editorial illustration of coworkers reviewing a blank access card and checklist during hands-on workplace training
    Editorial illustration of practical training shared between coworkers.

    Wall said the internship helped him build experience and familiarity with the job before returning to the depot in a civilian role. His supervisor, Lt. Casey Hilderbrand, described the program as a useful way to match transitioning service members with civilian positions.

    Experience that carries forward

    SkillBridge gives service members nearing the end of active duty time to gain real-world experience with civilian employers and federal installations. At Anniston, Wall’s internship led to a hiring opportunity close to the Alabama community he wanted to return to.

    Editorial illustration of a person walking along a leafy Alabama town street toward a new workday
    Editorial illustration of returning to a familiar region for a new chapter.

    Wall’s story joins professional experience with a local next step: training in a new role, a successful move into civilian work, and a chance to serve near home.

    Source: U.S. Army: Anniston Army Depot welcomes first SkillBridge hire. DVIDS report and photo records.

  • A Fort Buchanan Pet Event Found a Dog a Home—and a Foster Family

    A Fort Buchanan Pet Event Found a Dog a Home—and a Foster Family

    A two-day pet adoption and fostering event at Fort Buchanan brought Puerto Rico families, service members, civilian employees and animal-welfare volunteers together around one simple goal: helping rescued pets find safe places to land.

    A prospective adopter meets a friendly dog with a volunteer at an outdoor community table.
    Editorial illustration

    National Foster Alliance held the outreach on Aug. 29–30, 2026, introducing visitors to adoption and foster-care programs and bringing adoptable animals to the installation. The event was part of Telemundo’s Clear the Shelters 2026 campaign, according to the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Buchanan report.

    One new home, and a foster family ready to help

    The gathering produced an immediate adoption: one dog went home after the prospective adopter completed the organization’s application and interview process. A couple also applied to foster and later welcomed a dog into their home while the animal received veterinary care.

    A couple welcomes a gentle dog into their home for a temporary foster stay.
    Editorial illustration

    Those outcomes show how adoption and fostering can work together. A permanent adopter gives a pet a lasting home, while a foster family can provide a stable place during recovery or while an animal waits for adoption. National Foster Alliance describes its foster program as supporting rescued pets, animals receiving veterinary treatment and pets preparing for permanent placement.

    At the event, volunteers explained how the programs work and answered questions from community members. Shirley Prado, the alliance’s foster program coordinator, said the questions and willingness to collaborate made the outreach encouraging for the organization.

    A child learns gentle pet care by brushing a calm dog with an adult nearby.
    Editorial illustration

    A community partnership with another date ahead

    The Fort Buchanan outreach also began a partnership that National Foster Alliance hopes to continue. The organization is scheduled to return to the installation Nov. 14–15 with adoptable pets, information activities and its “Cada Mascota Cuenta” (“Every Pet Counts”) campaign. The program helps children explore compassion, responsibility and respectful animal care, the Army garrison reported.

    For families considering fostering, the upcoming event offers a chance to ask about the process and learn what temporary care involves. For people ready to adopt, meeting an animal and speaking with the organization can be a first step toward a carefully matched home.

    Fort Buchanan serves military personnel and civilian employees in Puerto Rico, and this outreach connected the installation with neighbors working on animal welfare across the island. One adoption and a new foster placement gave the weekend two tangible results—and the planned November return creates another opportunity for local families and pets to meet.

    Reporting is based on the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Buchanan’s Sept. 29, 2026, account of the outreach. The event’s organizer and outcomes are attributed to that report.

    Read the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Buchanan report on DVIDS.

  • Smile Across America: 1,585 Neighbors Gather at Nisqually Watershed Festival

    Smile Across America: 1,585 Neighbors Gather at Nisqually Watershed Festival

    Smile Across America: On Sept. 26, a day of bagpipes, hands-on nature activities and good company brought an estimated 1,585 people to the Nisqually Watershed Festival near Olympia, Washington.

    The annual gathering filled Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge with neighbors exploring the river basin they share. Refuge visitor services manager Julia Pinnix gave the estimate in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recap published Oct. 2. This was the gathering’s 37th year.

    Editorial illustration of neighbors exploring a riverside nature festival beneath autumn trees
    Editorial illustration of a community gathering beside a river.

    A welcome that carried across the watershed

    The day opened with bagpipes and a blessing from the Nisqually Canoe Family, then moved into a full schedule of music, learning and family activities. The Nisqually River Council’s festival program listed the Olympia Highlanders, the Nisqually Indian Tribe Canoe Family, local musicians, nature walks, and a K–5 poster contest themed around the watershed’s native birds.

    Children could climb inside FIN, a 25-foot model salmon, make fish prints on T-shirts and decorate windsocks and bird-beak masks. At exhibit tables, local groups invited visitors into conversations about water quality, native plants, wildlife and the river’s health. The Nisqually River Council also highlighted salmon and shark anatomy programs, a Reptile Man appearance and an afternoon falconry presentation.

    Editorial illustration of volunteers welcoming families from a shuttle at a riverside festival
    Editorial illustration of a shuttle bringing neighbors to a community event.

    Four buses helped neighbors reach the celebration

    Getting to the festival was part of the community effort. Organizers hired four school buses to carry visitors from Hawks Prairie Park and Ride to the refuge. In the amphitheater, about 130 people at a time gathered for salmon and dogfish shark dissections. Families also browsed the visitor center, local nature books and food stands, with live music from Olympia band Vendredi’s Bag providing a soundtrack through lunch.

    The welcome was made possible by a broad host committee that included the Nisqually Indian Tribe, Tacoma Power, the Nisqually River Council and River Foundation, the Nisqually River Education Project, Nisqually Reach Nature Center, Friends of Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Complex and the refuge itself. At least 70 volunteers helped the event run smoothly, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

    Editorial illustration of a family learning about river fish and insects with a volunteer naturalist
    Editorial illustration of families discovering the watershed’s wildlife.

    For a festival built around a watershed, the day offered a friendly reminder that a river connects more than places: it links people, wildlife, plants and the work of caring for a shared home. The 38th Nisqually Watershed Festival is scheduled for Sept. 25, 2027. Those who would like to help can contact the refuge at [email protected].

    Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s post-event report and the Nisqually River Council’s 2026 festival page and schedule.

  • Pearl Harbor Team Delivers 400 Pounds of Food to Hawaiʻi Foodbank

    Pearl Harbor Team Delivers 400 Pounds of Food to Hawaiʻi Foodbank

    At Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, a month of small donations became a generous delivery for families across Hawaiʻi.

    Sailors and civilian staff at commands around Pearl Harbor collected more than 400 pounds of canned goods and pantry staples during September. On September 30, Navy Region Hawaii volunteers loaded the boxes and carried them to the Hawaiʻi Foodbank warehouse on Oʻahu.

    Two Navy sailors smile while holding boxes of donated pantry food at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
    Two sailors hold donations gathered during the month-long food drive. U.S. Navy photo by Elaine Phillips, via DVIDS.

    The collection included canned proteins, rice, vegetables, soups, and other shelf-stable foods. Staff filled dozens of boxes between September 1 and September 29, giving people across several commands a practical way to help neighbors through everyday grocery items.

    A shared effort, one box at a time

    Navy Region Hawaii coordinated the local drive as part of the Department of the Navy’s wider Summer Food Drive campaign. The effort brought active-duty personnel and civilian employees into the same community project, with contributions gathered where they already worked.

    Stacked donation boxes display a colorful Navy Region Hawaii food drive sign
    Collection boxes prepared for the Navy Region Hawaii food drive. U.S. Navy photo by Raquel Cloma, via DVIDS.

    That simple setup helped individual cans and bags of rice add up. The completed collection weighed more than 400 pounds, and volunteers handled the final step by moving the donations to the food bank for distribution.

    Rear Adm. Rich Jarrett, commander of Navy Region Hawaii, described community service as a natural companion to service in uniform. In the Navy Region Hawaii account, he praised the team’s generosity and its commitment to giving back to the local ʻohana.

    From the waterfront to Hawaiʻi families

    Hawaiʻi Foodbank works with community organizations throughout Oʻahu and Kauaʻi and connects with food banks on neighboring islands. Its food-assistance network helps local residents find groceries through pantries and distribution programs across the islands.

    A Navy sailor guides a cart stacked with donated food boxes toward a Hawaiʻi Foodbank warehouse
    A Navy Region Hawaii volunteer delivers food-drive boxes to the Hawaiʻi Foodbank warehouse. U.S. Navy photo by Raquel Cloma, via DVIDS.

    The final delivery turned a workplace campaign into pantry support ready to move through that community network. Each contribution had a clear path: from a collection box at Pearl Harbor, onto a volunteer’s cart, and into the Hawaiʻi Foodbank system.

    The food drive offers a cheerful reminder of what coordinated kindness can look like. A can of soup, a bag of rice, and a box carried by a volunteer may each feel modest on their own. Together, they became hundreds of pounds of food headed toward neighbors across Hawaiʻi.

    Sources and photo records

  • Smokies Families Celebrate the Rebuilt John Messer Barn

    Smokies Families Celebrate the Rebuilt John Messer Barn

    Smile Across America takes a warm minivan route through real communities and the people who care for them. Today’s stop is Greenbrier, where relatives of the Messer family joined park and preservation partners to celebrate a Smokies landmark’s new chapter.

    On September 28, descendants of the Greenbrier community gathered with Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Friends of the Smokies for a ribbon-cutting at the rebuilt John Messer Barn. Family members shared stories of parents and grandparents who lived on the property before the national park was established.

    Editorial illustration of descendants and park stewards celebrating beside a cantilever barn in autumn
    Editorial illustration of a community gathering beside a historic barn.

    The gathering marked the completion of a full reconstruction of the barn in the Greenbrier area. The partnership brought together park leadership, Friends of the Smokies, descendants, and donors around a simple idea: keep a place connected to local family history ready to welcome future generations.

    A familiar landmark, carefully renewed

    The barn is the oldest structure in Greenbrier and the only building in that area that predates the national park, according to the National Park Service. Its distinctive double-cantilever form is associated with East Tennessee, and the structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    Preservation work carried the barn’s familiar details forward. The reconstruction used traditional techniques and materials similar to the original construction, including wooden studs in place of nails, and carefully preserved and reused the barn’s original doors.

    Editorial illustration of craftspeople fitting timber logs and preserving wooden doors during barn restoration
    Editorial illustration highlighting traditional timber work and preserved doors.

    Friends of the Smokies supported the project through its Forever Places endowment, which helps care for historic structures across the park. The organization described the reconstruction as a $465,000 investment in keeping this piece of Smokies history part of the mountains for generations.

    Family stories belong here, too

    The ceremony gave descendants of the Messer family a chance to share memories of the people who once lived on the property. That living connection adds another layer to the barn’s history: the beams and doors tell one story, while family recollections bring forward the everyday lives that shaped the Greenbrier community.

    Editorial illustration of multiple generations sharing family stories beside a Smokies barn
    Editorial illustration of relatives sharing memories at a family landmark.

    For visitors, the barn sits about a mile up Porters Creek Trail. The National Park Service describes it as a historic landmark and a waypoint for hikers. The reconstruction keeps that meeting of place and memory visible—a mountain trail leading to a structure built by local hands and carried into the future by a wider community.

    In Greenbrier, a ribbon-cutting became a welcome across generations: descendants remembering the people who came before, partners caring for the landscape today, and future hikers arriving to meet a piece of Smokies history along the trail.

    Sources

Powered by CookieAdmin