National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
P.O. Box 329 Johnson City, Texas 78636 (830) 868-7128 phone (830) 868-7863 fax
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park News
For Immediate Release
Contact: Phone number: Date:
Sherry Justus (830) 868- 7128, ext. 245 November 3, 2003
Johnson Sites Feature Diverse Holiday Experiences
Four properties whose focus is the continuing legacy of the Johnson family will offer a variety of events, exhibits and shopping opportunities throughout the 2003 holiday season and on into 2004. From November through February, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and LBJ State Park and Historic Site are collaborating to provide no charge, seasonal activities for young and old alike. The kickoff is the LBJ Library’s exhibit Seasons Greetings: Christmas from the White House, which opened on October 18 and continues through February 16. On display will be Christmas cards and gifts dating back to the 1870s, with prominent attention given to more modern Christmases celebrated by presidents from Calvin Coolidge to George W. Bush. Also opening at the LBJ Library will be The White House in Miniature, an elaborate and intricate re-creation complete with Christmas decorations. This 60-foot model was 38 years in the making, and can be enjoyed from November 11 to February 16. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s Wild Ideas:The Store is offering Wild Ideas: The Shopping Event, a unique three-day (December 5-7) opportunity combining abundant gift ideas, special daily offers, and a sales tax holiday on Friday and Saturday. Artists and artisans as well as special guest appearances will add additional luster to a relaxing shopping experience in a beautiful setting.
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The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.
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Separate evening events comprise the festivities at the two Johnson parks in the Hill Country. On Saturday, December 6, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park hosts A Timeless Christmas in Johnson City. Visitors will time travel to a holiday celebration in a Texas settlement of the 1860s and to a small town Texas Christmas of the 1920s. This one-of-kind event relates the story of Christmas lighting, past and present, by means of the original Johnson cabin and a chuckwagon camp bathed in candlelight and firelight and the LBJ Boyhood Home, where the decorations are more elaborate and the glow is from oil lamps. The event runs from 6 pm to 9 pm, giving visitors time to bask in the million white lights that make up Johnson City’s “Lights Spectacular: Hill Country Style” display. On Sunday, December 21, the 34th annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Evening Ranch Tours begins at LBJ State Park and Historic Site, 14 miles west of Johnson City. This Hill Country tradition, begun by President and Mrs. Johnson, includes a heartwarming ceremony commemorating the spirit of Christmas, a visit to an authentic German farm home and a tour of the holiday decorations on the famed LBJ Ranch. Johnson family members are always in attendance to light the towering tree, as is Santa Claus himself. All events and exhibits are free of charge, including admission to the Wildflower Center during Wild Ideas: The Shopping Event. For further information and driving directions, please contact the LBJ Library and Museum (512)721-0200, or www.lbjlib.utexas.edu; the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (512) 292-4200, or www.wildflower.org; Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park (830)868-7128, ext. 244, or www.nps.gov/lyjo; and LBJ State Park and Historic Site (830) 644-2252, or www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/lbj.
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E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A™
The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.