Smile.news

Category: Community Celebrations

  • A Hawaii Reunion Brought Generations Together for the 25th Infantry Division’s 85th Anniversary

    A Hawaii Reunion Brought Generations Together for the 25th Infantry Division’s 85th Anniversary

    At Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, a milestone reunion turned an anniversary into a day shared across generations. On Oct. 1, the 25th Infantry Division marked 85 years since its activation with ceremonies, displays and heritage events, bringing together active-duty soldiers, military families, community leaders and veterans attending the Tropic Lightning Association’s annual reunion.

    Editorial illustration of veterans, families and younger service members greeting one another at a Hawaiian anniversary gathering
    Editorial illustration: generations meeting at a community celebration in Hawaii.

    The division began at Schofield Barracks on Oct. 1, 1941. For this year’s anniversary, the gathering moved between the historic post and nearby Wheeler Army Airfield, with a program designed to connect that history to the people who carry it forward.

    One of the day’s early moments was a team race: battalion groups pulled weighted sleds through rain-soaked grounds, and the 3rd Mobile Brigade, known as the Broncos, won the chance to lead the division on its morning run. Later, veterans and families explored displays of modern Army aircraft, including Black Hawks, a Chinook and an Apache, and spoke with the people who fly and maintain them.

    Editorial illustration of families and veterans viewing aircraft together at a Hawaiian airfield
    Editorial illustration: families and veterans share an afternoon aircraft display.

    A shared meal offered another way to bring generations together. Active-duty soldiers and veterans sat down for lunch at the division’s Sustainment Bistro, trading stories over the table. The day also included a memorial ceremony recognizing the people whose service shaped the division, and an evening social with music from the 25th Infantry Division Band and a performance by the Hui Ha‘a warrior chant team.

    The program’s most enduring thread was the connection between people who served at different times. Event planner Maj. Eric Anderson described meeting a veteran who had commanded the same company decades before him. That kind of encounter gave the anniversary its personal scale: a long history made tangible through conversation, shared meals and familiar places.

    Editorial illustration of an older veteran and a younger service member sharing a commemorative keepsake while families talk nearby
    Editorial illustration: a keepsake helps carry a story between generations.

    For an anniversary measured in decades, the celebration’s warmth came from the people in the room and on the field: families making the trip, veterans reconnecting with former units, community leaders recognized for local partnership, and younger service members meeting the generation before them.

    Reporting is based on the U.S. Army’s DVIDS account of the Oct. 1 anniversary program.

  • 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.

  • A New Hampshire Park Invites Everyone to Make Art Together

    A New Hampshire Park Invites Everyone to Make Art Together

    Editorial illustration

    Families walk through a sunny garden toward outdoor art tables and easels at a historic park.

    A good community celebration gives people something to do together. At Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire, that means clay, cameras, music, paint and plenty of permission to try something new. The park’s annual Art in the Park Festival returns Saturday, September 12, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    The National Park Service describes the day with a lovely premise: everyone is an artist. Park staff, independent artists and area arts organizations will offer hands-on activities, with materials provided for every skill level. Sculpture demonstrations, family art projects, ranger-guided tours and music are all on the schedule.

    Make something, even if you have never tried before

    For visitors who like a clear invitation, the program has plenty. Artists will lead plein-air drop-ins, clay sketching and cyanotype printmaking. Families can make a traditional-style whisk broom, create nature-inspired art with pressed flowers and watercolors, or try instruments at a musical-instrument petting zoo. A photography meet-up will offer help with taking and printing digital pictures.

    An adult and children arrange leaves on art paper at a shaded outdoor table to create blue-and-white sun prints.
    Editorial illustration

    The cyanotype activity has an especially useful pairing of art and local context. Participants can make a blue-and-white print with plant material or a prepared image of an American shad, while learning from the Connecticut River Conservancy about rivers and conservation. It is the kind of small project that can turn an afternoon walk into a conversation on the ride home.

    A shared celebration at 2:30

    Music will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., when the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra performs arrangements of traditional fiddle tunes. At 2:30 p.m., the park will unveil a collective artwork inspired by the nation’s first motto, E pluribus unum, and hold a Junior Ranger ceremony for young participants. The artwork marks both the country’s 250th birthday and the 10th anniversary of the park’s Standing Lincoln installation.

    Families relax on a sunny lawn while a small fiddle ensemble performs outdoors beside sculpture-garden trees.
    Editorial illustration

    Plan a relaxed visit

    Standard entry fees apply, but the Saint-Gaudens Memorial will cover admission for the first 200 adults; children 15 and under are always free. Pack a picnic if you like—the park welcomes picnicking, and visitors should bring the food they want to enjoy. Most activities take place near the visitor center and Standing Lincoln. Overflow parking is available, with staff and signage to help guide visitors; a shuttle will serve people with mobility concerns, and a limited number of accessible spaces are near the visitor center.

    The festival is scheduled rain or shine, except in dangerous conditions. Check the National Park Service event page before setting out for the latest details. Then bring your curiosity. A first brushstroke, a simple print or a few minutes of music can be more than enough for a good day together.

    When: Saturday, September 12, 2026, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
    Where: Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Cornish, New Hampshire

    Source: National Park Service: Art in the Park Festival

  • Fort Jackson’s July 4 celebration made room for music, families and first-time visitors

    Fort Jackson’s July 4 celebration made room for music, families and first-time visitors

    By Smile News

    Fort Jackson’s July 4 celebration in South Carolina brought a broad mix of neighbors onto Hilton Field: families looking for an evening out, people trying the event for the first time, and a crowd gathered for music, food, a car show, a laser show and fireworks. The U.S. Army’s Fort Jackson Public Affairs Office reported that roughly 40,000 guests attended.

    Editorial illustration of neighbors and families gathering at an outdoor summer concert with fireworks overhead.
    Editorial illustration of a summer community concert and fireworks.

    The event’s small shared moments were as central as its big finale. The official report described the 282d Army Band playing several sets while visitors explored cars and Jeeps, chose from fair food and rode the Dixieland Express train. For Mike and Suzanne Beaulieu of nearby Lexington, it was their first Fort Jackson July 4 celebration. Mike told the public-affairs office that he and his wife wanted an outing that felt more lively than staying home for a cookout; he said he enjoyed the band and the sight of so many people celebrating together.

    Editorial illustration of children enjoying a small train ride near a community concert.
    Editorial illustration of the family-friendly moments described in the event report.

    That mix of familiar attractions and open invitation is what makes a local celebration travel well: there is room for a child’s train ride, a conversation with a neighbor and a song shared across a field. The evening closed with a fireworks display after the concert, according to the report.

    Editorial illustration of a community gathered for a summer concert under gentle fireworks.
    Editorial illustration of a community concert closing with fireworks.

    Source: Fort Jackson Public Affairs Office via DVIDS, published July 9, 2026. DVIDS copyright information.

Powered by CookieAdmin