New York City’s Central Park glistens like an emerald, it’s the bright green jewel in our fair jungle. Get ready to celebrate the creation and preservation of this precious gem during National Parks Week NYC, September 19-27, 2009.

As the centerpiece of the festivities, there will be an evening of music and film in Central Park’s East Meadow on Wednesday, September 23 starting at 7:00pm with highlights from Ken Burns’s upcoming PBS series “THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA.”  Featuring an array of musical acts, the live show will be shared via satellite to PBS affiliates and other partners throughout the country.  Mayor Bloomberg is expected to kickoff the evening and will be joined by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, along with other dignitaries.

(pictured above is Ken Burns at yesterday’s Press Conference in Central Park.  photo credit: Jemal Countess/Getty Images North America)

Narrated by Peter Coyote, the 12-hour, six-part documentary series, directed by Burns (of Baseball and Jazz fame), and co-produced with Dayton Duncan, who also wrote the script, was created over a six year period.  It brings to life some of the drama involved in preserving some of the most beautiful places in our country, including: Yosemite, Yellowstone, Acadia, The Grand Canyon, Everglades, and the Arctic.  Burns visited 53 of our 58 National Parks in the making of this doc of epic proportions.  As Burns puts it,  “It is a story full of struggle and conflict, high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration – set against the most breathtaking backdrops imaginable.”

“A number of park-related events will take place in New York City, including a green carpet gala on Tuesday, September 22 for friends of the parks to celebrate the cause. National Parks Week NYC will provide countless opportunities to entertain and educate the whole family, from a Lantern Tour of Fort Wadsworth to Grant’s Tomb After Dark and an Evening Tour of Liberty Island.” (source:  press release)

Find more info on Feel Free: A National Parks Celebration in Central Park @ www.FeelFree.org.
And visit npca.orga to learn more about the National Parks Conservation Association.