Events

As part of National Park Week, Chamizal National Memorial will celebrate National Junior Ranger Day with special activities for families and kids of all ages. Junior Rangers learn about what makes their park special and what they can do to take care of it. For this year’s celebration at the Chamizal, our theme of “Our Story, Your Story,” activities will focus on the history we preserve and provide ways for the Junior Rangers to tell their own stories.

This year we offer a special workshop, sponsored by El Paso Museums & Cultural Affairs Department, in which kids can create and learn to use a simple marionette. The workshop and materials are free, but space is limited and will be reserved first come, first served for those who arrive and register beginning at 9:45 am on National Junior Ranger Day. Individual, hour-long workshops are scheduled for 10:30 and 11:45 am.

At 10 am, the opening ceremony will take place in the Spanish Garden, and include a brief orientation to the National Park Service, Chamizal National Memorial, and the day’s events will follow. Beginning at 10:30 am, participants can choose from a variety of scheduled and ongoing activities including creating a simple hand puppet, exploring the Chamizal story with an active river model, creating visual stories by chalking the Chamizal, and searching for stories and stickers in a scavenger hunt. At 12:45, we will hold the closing ceremony in which the new Junior Rangers will recite the pledge and receive their badge. Everyone should be on the lookout throughout the morning for our mascot Chami, the Spotted Ground Squirrel, who enjoys greeting visitors, especially Junior Rangers. All programs and materials are free.

Junior Ranger Activity Books will be available, as they are every day during regular hours, for those who would like to stay and complete the activities to receive a patch in addition to the Junior Ranger badge. Feel free to bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it. The park offers covered picnic areas, grills, and trails for walking and biking. Be sure to visit our website for park rules regarding glass containers, where bicycles may be used, pets in the park and for other questions you may have.