Wildheart Offers Music and Environmental Message in Missouri State Parks
OutdoorHub 08.25.11
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Aug. 24, 2011 – The music and environmental message of Wildheart will be heard again in 12 Missouri state parks and historic sites, thanks to a grant from the Missouri Arts Council.
Wildheart is composed of Jan and George Syrigos, both Emmy award- winning educators and entertainers who bring a strong science message to young audiences as they explore wildlife, habitats and natural history. Their performance combines original music with motion and media to deliver a conservation message about the natural world.
Earlier this year, a Missouri Arts Council grant partially funded performances by Wildheart in seven state parks. “These performances were popular with both kids and adults and we are pleased that we can provide additional performances,” said Bill Bryan, director of Missouri State Parks, a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “Wildheart is more than entertainment; they present the same kind of message we promote to kids in Missouri state parks,” he said.
Wildheart is an approved Missouri Tour Performer for the Missouri Arts Council and the grant will provide the performance at a 60 percent reduced rate from the original price. Individual state parks and historic sites are pursuing local matches to the grants to further reduce the cost to the state park system. This will allow them to provide the performances free of charge to the public.
Performances of Wildheart during September and October will be held as follows:
- Sept. 3 – Lake Wappapello State Park, Williamsville; 7 p.m. in the amphitheater.
- Sept. 24 – Crowder State Park, Trenton; shows at noon and 2 p.m. (in conjunction with Fall Outdoor Discovery Day).
- Oct. 1 – Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, Middlebrook, 7 p.m. in the campground amphitheater.
- Oct. 8 – Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Kaiser, 6 p.m. in the shelter at Public Beach #1.
- Oct. 15 – Washington State Park, De Soto, 7:30 p.m. in the campground amphitheater (in conjunction with Fall Harvest Festival).
- Oct. 22 – Graham Cave State Park, Danville, 4 p.m. in front of Graham Cave.
- Oct. 28 – Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Camdenton, shows at 5:30 p.m., 6:10 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. (in conjunction with Ha Ha Haunt).
Additional parks and sites that will schedule performances include Arrow Rock State Historic Site in Arrow Rock; Jefferson Landing State Historic Site in Jefferson City; Stockton State Park near Stockton; Harry S Truman State Park near Warsaw and Wakonda State Park near La Grange.
Bryan added that he would like to thank Wildheart and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, for making the concerts possible. All shows are free of charge to the public and everyone is invited to attend.
For more information about these shows, call the individual parks where the concerts will be held or call the Missouri Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf. For information on state parks and historic sites, visit
