THERE'S STILL TIME TO CATCH CORPS OF DISCOVERY II

Cool and rainy weather last weekend may have kept some from experiencing the once-in-a-lifetime exhibit Corps of Discovery II: 200 Years to the Future in Omaha. But those who missed out will have a second chance this weekend when Corps of Discovery II sets up at Dana College in Blair, Neb., July 31–Aug. 4.

Corps of Discovery II is an interactive experience put on by federal, state and local entities and American Indian Nations. The experience is free and extremely family friendly.

Led by the National Park Service, Corps II is named after the 1803-06 "Corps of Volunteers for Northwestern Discovery." Corps II opened at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia, on Jan. 14, 2003. Corps II is a mobile exhibit designed to provide visitors an introduction to the Lewis and Clark story, including the natural history, cultural resources and the people of our nation before, during and after the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Corps II’s arrival at Dana coincides with the Lewis and Clark Signature Event being held in the nearby community of Fort Calhoun. A special shuttle service will run from Fort Calhoun to the Dana campus for those who wish to partake of the whole historic experience. Parking attendants will also be available at Dana to help visitors unload passengers, park and find their way to the exhibit, which will be set up in a parking lot east of the Gardner-Hawks Center.

The traveling exhibit includes two tents with interpretive exhibits and a performance tent called the Tent of Many Voices. The Tent of Many Voices provides a 40- by 70-foot space for live demonstrations, lectures, cultural presentations and audio-visual programs. Live performances occur in partnership with American Indian tribes, state and local governments, the private sector and our partner federal agencies.

From a frozen mountaintop at Monticello, Corps II has visited dozens of communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri - locations where Meriwether Lewis and William Clark made preparations for the journey into the West. Corps II opened its second season in March 2004 in St. Louis and will move up the Missouri River into the American heartland then in 2005 through the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. In the spring of 2006 Corps II will travel from the Pacific Ocean back to St. Louis. The journey will make stops in large urban areas, American Indian Reservations, and small towns along the way.

Corps II serves as the unifying component for the Bicentennial commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. During the Bicentennial, the National Park Service will help link the American people with each other by providing the Corps II venue where we will listen to many voices share stories about impacts of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and how our nation has evolved in the past 200 years.

Dana College is a place where all students actively participate. They make things happen — in their own lives and in the lives of others. Through a highly supportive faculty and campus community, Dana students develop interpersonal skills, leadership abilities, and other important values and knowledge as they make choices about their future. Dana’s outstanding academic programs in business, education, art and social work, among others, ensure that students have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to pursue challenging careers or placement in graduate school.

Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution in Blair, Neb. To learn more, visit www.dana.edu.

Dana College: Develop talents, Take charge, Build a future — We’re with you all the way.

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For more information contact:

Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu