L&C Foundation celebrating with free admission weekend

From June 1-3, the Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation will host a three-day event to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. The event will feature a number of activities, including the grand dedication of the new exhibits in the remodeled Interpretive Center. As part of the celebration, visitors will receive free admission to both the Interpretive Center and Fort Mandan.

"This weekend is going to be a big celebration for us and we want the public to join us for this special event," said David Borlaug, president of the Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation. "We are incredibly grateful to have Great River Energy and Gate City Bank as major sponsors, with additional support from OneOK, the National Park Service and North Dakota Parks and Recreation."

Borlaug says there will be plenty of activities to keep people engaged throughout the weekend, including a fur traders rendezvous and interpretive programming at Fort Mandan. Artist Michael Haynes and author Clay Jenkinson will also give a presentation on "The Character of Meriwether Lewis" at the Interpretive Center.

"The main event will be the grand dedication of new exhibits on Saturday afternoon," Borlaug said. "We have been working on these exhibits for years and we are proud to be able to dedicate them on the 15th anniversary of the Interpretive Center."

Gov. Jack Dalrymple, Sen. Kent Conrad, Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Tex Hall and Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Superintendent Mark Weekley will speak at the ceremony. In addition to the new exhibits, the Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation is currently working on expanding the Interpretive Center to include a 175-seat event center.