81st Carver Day Celebration at George Washington Carver National Monument
George Washington Carver National Monument is pleased to announce the park’s annual Carver Day celebration to be held on Saturday, July 13, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., celebrating the life of George Washington Carver and the establishment of the national monument in his honor. This year we are commemorating the 81st anniversary of George W. Carver’s passing and the subsequent establishment of the national park on July 14, 1943, the first one to honor an African American. The event is free of charge.
Guest speakers include Edith Powell, retired college professor of immunology and hematology at Tuskegee University. Powell will give a presentation on her recent book entitled, More Than Peanuts, The Unlikely Partnership of Tom Huston and George Washington Carver. Alex Sandy Primm, oral historian and speaker with the Missouri Humanities Council Speakers Bureau Program will share a presentation entitled Missouri’s Natural Heroes, which included George Washington Carver.
Music is a huge part of the Carver Day fun. Musical performers this year include Arlecia Eikamil. Arlecia is a multi-instrumentalist and singer. Jahfi Studio, St. Louis, Missouri, will perform traditional West African dance and drum rhythms. St. Monica Music Ministry of Kansas City, Missouri, will also join us. Under the director of Melvin Kerr, the choir of consists of members of the St. Monica Catholic Church and other individuals in the local community. We welcome back to the music tent this year the gospel singing group Sensational Wonders. Local church choirs will also be invited to perform.
Carver Day is also a time for kids to explore the park and connect to the child who was born here over 150 years ago. There will be guided tours, Junior Ranger activities, and more. The Diamond Lions Club will provide food concessions.
Carver Day celebrates the African American experience through speakers, storytelling, music, and educational programs. In keeping with Carver’s legacy of accessible and affordable education, Carver Day, like all our programs, is free of charge. Carver Day is presented in partnership with the Carver Birthplace Association.
Administered by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, George Washington Carver National Monument preserves the birthplace and childhood home of George Washington Carver – scientist, educator, and humanitarian. The park is located two miles west of Diamond, Missouri on Highway V, then ¼ mile south on Carver Road. For more information, please call the park at 417-325-4151 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., visit the park website at www.nps.gov/gwca, or visit the park Facebook page.