NEW YORK, NY - Carole King performed at "Feel Free: A National Parks Celebration in Central Park", the upcoming celebration of Ken Burns' newest film, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, on September 23, 2009. The event was the highlight of 'National Parks Week NYC', a week-long series of events in New York City, September 19-27, 2009.

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe paid tribute to America's national parks with an evening of musical performances, film clips, and live presentations by director/co-producer Ken Burns, writer/co-producer Dayton Duncan, and several individuals who appear in the film. Musical performances include Carole King, Eric Benet, Gavin DeGraw, Jose Feliciano, Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas and Peter Yarrow. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg kicked off the event, and Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar spoke, along with other dignitaries.

The live 90-minute show, from East Meadow in Central Park, was open to the public at no cost (first come, first-served).

The 12-hour, six-part documentary, which will air on PBS beginning September 27th, tells the story of how the parks were formed, with the idea that everyone from every walk of life should be able to enjoy national wilderness. It shows how people from vastly diverse backgrounds and occupations-rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs-came together and worked to preserve the lands that meant so much to them, and to all Americans. Their vision is still being passed down to us, today, as we both benefit from the national parks already created, and follow their example in seeking to protect federal lands not yet preserved. Of course, Carole has already been inspired by these actions and continues to dedicate herself to this very same pursuit with her efforts toward the passage of H.R. 980, the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA).

Additional materials about the film and outreach for the series can be found at <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.npca.org/media_center/press_releases/2009/national_parks_week... href="http://www.npca.org/media_center/press_releases/2009/national_parks_week... target="_blank class=" wine"=""> National Parks Conservation Association and PBS.ORG. 

To read about this event in the Daily News, click here.

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