On Saturday, the National Parks Service will celebrate not only its centennial but also the 40th anniversary of Valley Forge transitioning from being Pennsylvania’s first state park to a national park, writes Evan Brandt for Daily Local News.

Founded in 1893, Valley Forge Park was originally designated as a state park until July 4th, 1976, when it became a national park under the watchful eye of President Gerald Ford. To celebrate both anniversaries, a wide variety of regular and special activities have been organized.

“We’re proud to have reached this 100-year milestone, and we’re using it to focus on setting the national parks up for the next 100 years,” said Jonathan Parker, chief of interpretation and education at Valley Forge.

For the 2.1 million tourists and other visitors who come annually, the park offers a spectacular display of the varieties of flora and fauna in the region.

“It is a biological refuge more than 1,000 different species of flora and fauna that live in the forests, meadows and streams,“ said Parker. “It is also an urban and suburban refuge for people who have a need for some open space, or a place that is protected and quiet.”

However, popular as it is, the National Parks Service would still like more people, especially the younger generation, to come and take in its outstanding natural beauty.

“We are not seeing the number of younger people we would like to,“ Parker noted.

Read more about the anniversary celebration at Daily Local News here.