Volunteers throughout Pennsylvania are teaming up with the American Battlefield Trust to aid in the maintenance and restoration of five Keystone State battlefields and historic sites as part of Park Day, an annual nationwide, hands-on preservation event.

Since its inception in 1996, Park Day has attracted volunteers of all ages and abilities bound by their dedication to serving their communities.

Park Day is scheduled for April 6, when Pennsylvania volunteers will be joined by thousands of fellow participants across the country in cleaning up and revitalizing 160 historic sites in 32 states.

Activities are chiefly outdoor projects that range from raking leaves and collecting trash to painting and gardening.

Volunteers will receive T-shirts, and some sites will provide lunch or refreshments.

A local historian may also be on hand to talk about the unique role of the site in our national story.

Starting times, and occasionally event dates, may vary at each site. Pennsylvania volunteers interested in participating in Park Day are encouraged to contact the individual sites listed below.

• Brandywine Battlefield, Birmingham Hill, West Chester, 8 a.m. Contact Andrew Outten at amoutten@gmail.com. Volunteers will help with building or repairing fences, clearing brush, trail maintenance and trash removal. Water will be provided.

• Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, 9 a.m. Contact Norma Lohman at norma_lohman@nps.gov. Volunteers will help with clearing brush. An interpretive ranger will give a talk over lunch break on the battle action near Trostle Farm.

• Highland Cemetery, Lock Haven, 9 a.m. Contact Dave Wallace at davewallace56@verizon.net. Volunteers will help with clearing brush, installing markers/interpretive signs, trash removal and removing sticks and old decorations. The site will conduct a brief history of the cemetery. A meal will be provided for volunteers.

• Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, 10 a.m. Contact Samuel Ricks at mricks9015@aol.com. Volunteers will help with clearing brush, landscaping, planting, trail maintenance and trash removal. Mini-tours of the Naval Asylum Plot National Cemetery and/or Civil War Soldiers Plot National Cemetery will be available. Water and snacks will be provided.

• Paoli Battlefield Historical Park, Malvern, 11 a.m. Contact James Christ at jchristwc13@gmail.com. Volunteers will help with clearing brush, trail maintenance and trash removal. The site will present a brief history of the battle. Water will be provided for volunteers.

For a complete list of participating Park Day sites and more information, visit www.battlefields.org/parkday. Volunteers can share their Park Day participation online using #ParkDay2019.

The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 50,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War.

Learn more at www. battlefields.org.