After receiving approval from Congress in December and being signed into law by President Trump on January 8, NPS and Eastern National preparations began in earnest to fully transition Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site to Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in time for the site’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration on January 15. As the park’s educational and retail partner, Eastern National was on hand to assist with coordinating a comprehensive rollout of the new name in several tangible areas in a matter of days.
One of the early preparations for the name shift was the quick production of a new Passport To Your National Parks® cancellation stamp featuring the park’s new name. Mickey Goodson, the Eastern National site manager, worked with Eastern National’s headquarters team to get new stampers produced and shipped to the park in time for visitors to get their official “first day” cancellations. Pop-up cancellation stations were placed throughout the park for easy visitor access and provided an excellent opportunity for volunteers to introduce new visitors to the Passport program.
Eastern National was also able to quickly produce a new logo for the site, the first step in facilitating the transition to products with the new park name. A selection of items featuring the updated logo was expedited, allowing visitors to purchase commemorative postcards and key rings to celebrate the day. With the holiday being the store’s busiest weekend of the year, the updated items provided an important sales boost resulting in increased financial support to the park.
Photo: The revised logo for Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.
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