A public relations firm sent out a media alert announcing that the US Mint will unveil the designs for the first five quarters in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program. The program that begins this year is a new multi-year initiative honoring 56 national parks and national sites in each state, the District of Columbia and the five US territories and will run through 2021.
The media event will be held Wednesday, March 24, 12:00 noon at the Newseum in Washington, DC (map). The event will feature US Mint Director Ed Moy unveiling the new designs of the first five quarters in the program and a video of the featured national sites showcasing the natural and historic significance of the first five quarters.
Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas will be first quarter and will be released on April 19 to be followed by Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming (to be released in June), Yosemite National Park in California (July), Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona (September), and Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon (November).
Additional featured speakers scheduled include US Treasurer Rosie Rios, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and Dayton Duncan the writer and co-producer of the Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.
This may be a media-only event and not open to the public. If you are going to be near the Newseum on March 24, it might be worth trying to attend. Besides, the Newseum is one of the great museums in Washington and worth the time to visit.