Grand prize winner

When Jimmy D. Leach entered the visitor center at the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, he got a pleasant surprise.

He was greeted by Superintendent Larry Villalva who told him he was the grand prize winner for the 2008 Visitor Appreciation Day.

The staff of the national historic site had been planning the event for several months and agreed that the grand prize would be awarded to the first person to walk through the front door Monday, Aug. 25.

That date is also the anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service. Leach had intended to stop at the visitor center at 223 N. Main St. in Independence to pick up a new senior pass. After meeting the rest of the staff, he received a variety of gifts.  Included were a commemorative medal for the 25th anniversary of the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site a national public lands pass, a 48-star flag which had been flown at the Truman home on Flag Day and a gift certificate for admission to the Truman Library, the Vaile Mansion, the Bingham-Waggoner Estate and the 1859 Jackson County Jail and Marshall’s Home. He was also treated to the complimentary cookies made with one of Mrs. Truman’s recipes.