Hello! It's a challenge to keep kids reading during the summer, but in this issue we've included lots of resources to help you do just that. And why not bring history AND reading alive and plan a visit this summer to some of the historic places and/or festivals that feature our Young Patriots. Try:

The Amelia Earthart Birthplace--Atchison, Kansas
http://www.ameliaearhartmuseum.org/

The Lew Wallace Centennial Celebration-Crawfordsville, Indiana
http://www.ben-hur.com/currentEvents.html

Grouseland-William Henry Harrison's Home, Vincennes, Indiana
http://www.grouselandfoundation.org/

The Juliette Low Birthplace, Savannah, Georgia
http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/birthplace/

I wish you a wonderful summer-we will be taking a break ourselves and will return in August with a new back-to-school issue filled with surprises!

Warmly,

Florrie

To keep kids interested in educational and productive activities this summer, encourage them to have a summer reading list! A fun way to do this is to have a book to highlight certain holidays or historical dates throughout the summer.

The Young Patriots had some important summer milestones as well . . .

Some say that Mahalia Jackson created a minor miracle at the Newport Jazz Festival on a July evening in 1958. When the time came for Mahalia to step out onto the open-air stage, a rain had begun to fall. Much to the amazement of the fans, however, the rain miraculously stopped for Mahalia's entire performance then began again upon the completion of her last note!

On June 26, 1778, George Rogers Clark and 175 men traveled on the Ohio River to Kaskaskia. They surprised the fort at Kaskaskia on July 4, 1788 and took the fort and town without firing a single shot!

July 3rd marks the day that President Harry S. Truman signed a bill in 1948, authorizing a three-cent commemorative stamp in honor of Juliette Gordon Low. The stamp was one of the few dedicated to women at the time.

Independence Day - July 4th - is the celebration of our country's freedom. John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia, PA. Brilliant bonfires lit up the night sky, celebrating our country's new freedom. In 1941, Congress declared the 4th of July a federal legal holiday.

The Great Hoosier Poet, James Whitcomb Riley, died on July 22, 1916. More than 35,000 people filed past his casket as it lay in state under the dome at the Indiana State Capital.

July 24th is Amelia Earhart Day in honor of her birthday. Amelia's last flight was July 2, when she disappeared. Her relative is joining another expedition to find her plane. Read more.

In The News . . .

"Lives of Real People Inspire Children"

We Want to Hear From You!

Please call, email or write us your comments - good and bad--, suggestions and questions. You are the most important element to the continued success of the Young Patriots Series. We would love to hear from you!

Attention:
The Young Patriot's Newsletter Special Offer for Subscribers Only Will Resume in August . . . With a Surprise!