ST. AUGUSTINE — In celebration of Black History Month and the 75th Anniversary of Florida State Parks, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Fort Mose Historic State Park will host the 14th annual Flight to Freedom Reenactment event this Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. Along with this event, the park has launched a new online audio guide, detailing the history of Fort Mose and incorporating the theme of the 75th Anniversary, Preserving the Past while Looking to the Future, by allowing people to download the guide to a MP3 player or listen on their computer.

“The Flight to Freedom event is a great opportunity for park visitors to go back in time and learn about Florida’s diverse history,” said DEP’s Florida Park Service Director Mike Bullock. “By providing an online guide, those who may not be able to otherwise experience the event, can now do so.”

Fort Mose Historic State Park and the Fort Mose Historical Society will host the living history event at Fort Mose Historic State Park in St. Augustine. Reenactors will be dressed in period clothing performing the account of the first Underground Railroad through storytelling, drumming and colonial weapon demonstrations.

The Fort Mose Historic State Park audio guide is available for download at, http://www.floridastateparks.org/fortmose/audioguide/default.cfm. The audio guide explores the story of fugitive slaves who braved the Florida wilds to lay the groundwork for the first free black settlement in what would become the United States of America. The audio guide allows people to become acquainted with the history of the park before visiting.

Regular park admission fees of $4.00 per carload of up to eight people or $2.00 per pedestrian or bicyclist will apply, and the event is weather permitting. For additional information, call the park at (904) 823-2232.

Throughout 2010, DEP’s Florida State Parks will celebrate 75 years of recreation and preservation. Florida State Parks will host special activities and interpretive events from coast to coast, including 25 signature events which highlight individual parks’ histories, as well as the history of the state park system as a whole.

Created in 1935 by the Florida Legislature, Florida State Parks has grown from eight to 160 parks over the last 75 years. Today, the Florida Park Service manages more than 700,000 acres of Florida’s natural environment, including 100 miles of beaches, eight National Historic Landmarks and 39 sites on the National Register of Historic Places. Florida State Parks has been recognized by the National Recreation and Park Association as the nation’s first and only two-time Gold Medal winner for the nation’s best park service.

To learn more about 75th Anniversary events, and the history of Florida State Parks, visit www.floridastateparks.org, and follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/FLStateParks.