Relive the exciting era of rumrunners, bootleggers, flappers and G-Men at the world premier of “American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition” at the National Constitution Center, in Philadelphia, on April 13.
Sponsored by The Community School of New Hope-Solebury, the motor coach will leave New Hope-Solebury High School, 180 W. Bridge St., New Hope, at 8:15 a.m. and return at 5 p.m.
After a private introduction to one of the most colorful and complex periods in American history by a staff member, attendees will receive iPod audio tour headsets featuring filmmaker Ken Burns and view over 100 rare artifacts (from the dawn of the temperance movement to the unprecedented repeal of a constitutional amendment).
See the hatchet of Carry Amelia Nation on loan from the Kansas Historical Society. The infamous “Saloon Buster” was described as being 6 feet tall and with the biceps of a stevedore, the face of a prison warden, and the persistence of a toothache.
Also on exhibit is the candlestick telephone of Roy Olmstead, a former police officer who became the most successful bootlegger in the Pacific Northwest and took his case to the United States Supreme Court when federal agents wiretapped this phone without a warrant.
Drive your own speedboat to catch rumrunners in a custom-built video game; practice four versions of the Charleston in an recreated speakeasy; sit at a bar and hear the evolution of the “cocktail” and “the powder room;” and join Al Capone in a criminal lineup for a photo op.
In the afternoon, visit the Philadelphia Italian Market, the oldest and largest working outdoor market in the United States, where time will be allotted for shopping and lunch on your own.
Cost is $89 and includes motor coach transportation, admission to exhibit, staff introduction, audio sets, and the multi-media “Freedom Rising.”
Reservation deadline is March 15 Call 215-968-8409 or 215-862-3619.

