Wow! Like the speed of a Nike Missile, summer has passed us by! And what a summer it was.

Visitation at the site has been growing by leaps and bounds. Over 20,000 visitors came by in the last year. That meant a lot of fantastic tours by a group of fantastic people! The calls and e-mails I get from our visitors only prove the valuable contributions of our Volunteers, Interns and Rangers. We have the opportunity to tell an amazing story. A story that should never be forgotten and a story we tell so well.

Now for what’s happening around the site:

Our September Open House had 600 visitors at the site. Don, Rod, Clinton, Ed and Greg were on hand to show all a great time.

During the summer we worked with Road Scholar, a non-profit group arranging tours for Grandparents and their Grandchildren. We conducted four tours for them at NIKE as well as Point Bonita. The responses by the participants was so great, Road Scholar has asked to expand to nine tours next year. Things like this make all of our work so meaningful. To be able to share the stories of such an important era in our history is key to our mission. Thank you and kudos to all who helped make this a trip to remember for those visitors.

Repairs at the site are in progress! The Assembly Building will be the first to see some cosmetic repairs. The interior will be cleaned and painted. Cultural affairs will be revamping the displays with an eye for bringing more artifacts to the site.

The large filing cabinet will be removed and replaced with a t.v. cart. A new introductory PowerPoint presentation and video is almost completed and will be shown to our visitors when they arrive. We will be moving a Hercules shipping container to an area by the Assembly Building. This will make for a better interpretive experience for our visitors.

Out in the launch area, two hydraulic cylinders were replaced on the launcher. The hydraulic fluid was replaced and the launcher is once again operational. We now have a 55 gallon drum of 5606 hydraulic fluid in “B” pit. We are also looking at fabricating new doors for “A” pit.

Work is proceeding on removing the invasive foliage at the site. The first phase which is scheduled to start soon will remove the foliage from the entrance gate to an area near the Warhead Building. NPS staff will cut down the trees in the launch area. In the Warhead Building, the nose cone will be replaced with one in better condition.

We are finally going to be able to say good-bye to the trash dumpster by the Assembly Building. It will be leaving us in the next few days.

Thanks to Susan Ewing-Haley for her hard work in getting these things done. The efforts of all of us, Rangers, staff and volunteers is to be commended and appreciated. The story lives on!

Upcoming Special Groups:

This is the time of the year when I contact a variety of groups to invite them to the site. In addition, many groups are calling me to arrange for tours.

Sandia Interns are scheduled to return in December.

Expeditionary Learning will be visiting on November 20 and 21. More details to follow as regards times and other groups that will be visiting.

Other News

It seems that the return of personal items that were at the site has progressed very well. Thanks to all concerned for getting this accomplished.

Please don’t forget about our Living History initiative. Susan Ewing-Haley is pursuing oral histories from all of our great volunteers. Your participation will help ensure the story never fades away.

We recently had PBS at the site filming a documentary. I spoke with the producers and was told the show is in its final stages of production. I will keep you informed as to when the show is scheduled to air.

Everything Else

As National Park Service Volunteers, you are all eligible to join The Department of Interior

Federal Credit Union. They offer great rates and services. Let me know if you would like further information..

Our next Open House will be October 4 from 12:30-3:30. I am looking forward to a fantastic afternoon.

We Players, a local theatre group who has worked extensively with GGNRA and San Francisco Maritime, will be presenting King’s Fool, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear. The performances will be at Battery Wallace in The Marin Headlands on Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28 at 2 P.M. It is a very worthwhile experience. Again, let me know if you are interested in attending.

See you at the site!

Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication!