But it ain't spring yet! There's still cold in the air.
...I smell snow...
However, the end of February saw spring-like weekends, which found reenactors out and about, taking in that historic air...
It began for me on Saturday, February 22, when I took part, along with a few others, in the Plymouth (Michigan) Historical Museum's wonderful "A Night at the Museum" birthday party, this time for a ten year old boy and about a dozen of his pals.
You see, one of the really cool things the Plymouth Museum does that I have not seen elsewhere around these parts are their "Night at the Museum" birthday party for kids, based on the very successful movies of the same name. This is something that really gets the children involved in history.
As the Museum's website states:
The "Night at the Museum" has come to Plymouth, and now children can experience a birthday party they will never forget. Executive Director Liz Kerstens and the Plymouth Historical Museum staff, inspired by the movies of the same name, created this magical evening where children discover that the characters within the Museum come alive after hours.
Kids begin their evening in the lower level meeting room, where they gather and socialize before sitting down for a dinner of pizza or subs and drinks while watching one of the "Night at the Museum" movies. When the show ends, a reenactor meets them and their magical journey begins. They are greeted on the pretense of touring the Museum, but when presented with a personalized "Tablet of Akmenrah," they discover that not all is as it seems. This tablet is a recreation of the Egyptian tablet used in the movies that brings the Museum characters to life, which the children soon realize seemingly works in this Museum as well.
The Museum is filled with reenactors silently waiting for the kids to bring them to life with the tablet. Kids could discover a Roman soldier dressed in full battle gear or Civil War soldiers preparing for war, or women wearing big hoop skirts and fancy dresses. There may even be a teenager from the 1950s hanging about, waiting to be awakened so she can dance and sing to her favorite rock and roll music. Anyone can be discovered at the Museum, and children will enjoy the living history. Each character chats with the kids about a slice of history so children might learn a thing or two while they are having fun at the party.
So let me show you how our Night at the Museum played out on one particular Saturday in February.
Since I was the first museum character they visited, we'll begin with me!
~(Special thanks to Marty Kerstens and the Plymouth Historical Museum for allowing me to use some of their pictures)~
Paul Revere awakes to find himself in the 21st century, surrounded by a mass of school kids, itching to learn about America's past. |
But Paul Revere was not the only person from the past that the kids were able to meet. Also there was also Greta Zimmer. Who?!? |
"V-J Day in Times Square" (also known as "V-Day" and "The Kiss") is a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt that portrays a U.S. Navy sailor grabbing and kissing a stranger—a nurse—on Victory over Japan Day ("V-J Day") in New York City's Times Square on August 14, 1945.
A number of women have claimed to be the nurse in the photo, but... |
And the young schoolkids were able to "meet" her and hear her story.
Next we have Thomas Edison.
Once again we see enthralled 9, 10, and 11 year olds excitedly listening and contributing to the most famous of inventors and his stories concerning the incandescent light bulb. |
Mr. Thomas Alva Edison. |
And then there was another famous inventor, Mr. Alexander Graham Bell:
The kids you see in these photographs were every bit as excited to be here, meeting great American historical heroes, as they would have been had they been at Disney World. |
Mr. Alexander Graham Bell |
Friend David, I do not think we shall need a call bell as Hello! can be heard 10 to 20 feet away.
What you think? Edison - P.S. first cost of sender & receiver to manufacture is only $7.00.
And there you have a Bell-Edison connection!
And finally we have...
Mike Gillett. |
Mr. Gillett tried something a little different than portray a famous name in history: |
"My spiel went along the lines that I was 'nobody.' Nobody special anyway. They had met famous people - Paul Revere, Greta Zimmer, Tom Edison, Alexander Graham Bell." |
"And so I had them think about what their grandfather's grandfather's grandfather saw and did and felt about all they saw and how they went about their lives. So I encouraged them to put themselves in the history lessons to make them more interesting and have them stick with them longer..."
Imagine, putting yourself in history.
What a concept, eh?
I love being a living historian!
This is such a wonderful and important opportunity to teach history to youngsters. My hat is off to you and all involved who makes such living history possible.
The kids that attend will remember this for the rest of their lives.
And then the very next day....
Tony Gerring, the head of Michigan's 1st Pennsylvania Revolutionary War reenacting unit, held his annual celebration of the birth of the Father of Our Country - George Washington. What a great idea: to have an opportunity to get together with friends to commemorate our favorite general and president. It gives us a good excuse to don our period clothing once again during a time when most reenactors are hibernating.
That's my son, Robbie, on the right, and that's Paul on the left. Both are a part of the 1st Pennsylvania. |
Mother and son reenact together. Mom is a part of the Citizens of the American Colonies, while EJ is the youngest 1st Pennsylvania member. |
We have Ken and Jerry...and I am not sure who the gentleman on the right is, though I have seen him around at reenactments. |
Even though it was a bright sunny day, we still brought our lanterns, for last year they were necessary. A few of us brought other accessories to share what we have purchased over the winter months. |
Here are all of the females who came out to celebrate George Washington's birthday |
Ken Roberts poors Madeira for a toast. It's been said Madeira was Washington's favorite wine. |
Only days following the spring-like temperatures found us buried in a half foot of snow and some pretty cold conditions. By the following Saturday - Leap Day (Feb. 29) we were back to sunny skies and temps reaching into the 30s.
That's Michigan (and the upper midwest) for ya.
And that's why I believe the reenactors swap and sell, again, held at the old schoolhouse, was such a grand success; after such a wint'ry week, folks were itching to get out of their houses and think of the warm-weather when the major reenactments would take place.
February 29 found us back at Eastpointe's 1872 school house. |
As soon as the doors were open to the public, the people began pouring in. There were items for those who did Revolutionary War, Civil War, and WWII. |
So we had a goodly amount of people come in, most happily leaving with at least one treasure. |
And by the end of the day, our hostess was plum wiped out! Yes, this is Charlotte, and it was her idea to put the 2020 swap and sale together. |
Another plus was having so many people who have not seen our 1872 schoolhouse be able to come inside and see the beautifully restored building that served our local children from 1872 til 1921. I was able to tell the story:
It was in 1921 that a new, larger school was built, due to the growing population. Local resident, Mr. Kaiser, who had recently started his own fuel and supply business with his sons, bought the old building and moved it, by way of horses and skids, to the southeast corner on Nine Mile Road and Gratiot; the structure was to be used mainly as a warehouse for coal supplies and storage, which lasted from 1921 to 1984. To turn the old schoolhouse into a warehouse Kaiser covered the windows, walls, and flooring, thereby preserving local history. It's been said he did this purposely. We are in his debt for having the historical preservation foresight that he did.
Eastpointe's pride, the 1872 Schoolhouse, all restored and receiving visitors. |
The schoolhouse now sits as it once did in 1872, a-waiting for students and guests to stop in for a visit.
Until next time, see you in time.
To read about Washington's death, please click HERE
To learn more about farming in the colonial era, please click HERE
To read more about winter in the colonies, please click HERE
To learn more about a colonial kitchen, please click HERE
To have a general overview of life in colonial times, please click HERE
To reach the Plymouth Historical Museum, please click HERE
To learn more about the early days of my hometown of Eastpointe, please click HERE
And HERE is an interesting article about the differences between axes, hatchets, and tomahawks
~ ~ ~
1 comment:
Hi again...I've not been visiting your blog lately, shame on me. I do enjoy seeing what you historic re-enactors are up to! Keep up the good work!
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