2008 child volunteers

Last evening at the end of the business day, the Colonial Interpretation Department hosted an informal ice cream and cake thank-you party for the 2008 child volunteer interpreters. Each child, or young person, since some of them aren’t really children anymore thank you very much, received a small gift and lots of praise.

They all did an awesome job this summer, learning the stories of their assigned characters, using 17th-century dialect, participating in special events, teaching visitors both young and old period games and songs, and generally acting like children, which added a priceless atmosphere to the recreated 1627 English Village.

One of my favorite moments happened early in the summer, during the squadron muster on July 3. As the men marched down the street with pikes and/or muskets under the direction of Captain Myles Standish, the two youngest boys fell in behind them carrying sticks shaped like swords. Totally unscripted, just children being children, but you need children around to have that sort of thing happen spontaneously.

Which wouldn’t have happened without Buddy, the veteran interpreter to the left in the class photo. Buddy took on primary responsibility for the child volunteer program, creating training materials and “practice” sessions, coordinating with the parents and the wardrobe department staff, supervising the children on site (with lots of help, support and cooperation from all the rest of the Village staff), and generally mentoring a new generation of first-person interpreters. Buddy not only got ice cream and cake, but he also got thanks and appreciation from the parents, whose children have been enjoying a most excellent summer.

The children will continue to volunteer in the Village for another week, then take a few weeks’ hiatus to establish new school schedules, etc. This will give us time to procure wool coats, mittens and stockings in time for them to rejoin the Village cast in late September, volunteering weekends and holidays.

*Two children are missing from the photo, Ella and Eli. They were awesome, too, but were unavailable for the picture.

I mentioned that we were, a few weeks ago, concentrating on getting clothing ready for our child volunteers. We’ve expanded the program this year (only to children of Plimoth staff, though) and are introducing nine new colonial children to the 1627 Village site this week. Colleen asked when one might find children on site. We’re not holding them to particular schedules, being youngsters and volunteers and all, but this is what I know. You’re likely to find children on site any day except Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the time being. You’re much less likely to find any on those awful, suffocating hot & humid days we sometimes get. The children aren’t scheduled through the front desk, so calling ahead, unfortunately, won’t get you any more information. The children are pretty excited, though, and want to be on site. With nine to choose from you’re pretty likely to find some most days.

Next Thursday, July 3 there will be a “squadron muster” in the English Village and I believe most of the children are planning to be on site for it. In the 17th century the colonists were very serious about defending their colony, and being prepared to defend it, both from potential European rivals (Spanish and French, most notably) and Native peoples. We have historical references to the colonists “exercising their arms”(arms & armor, not limbs) periodically, and the squadron muster will be a demonstration of what that might have looked like. We have no record of any attack on the Plymouth Colony by either Europeans or Natives up to and including the year portrayed on site – 1627.

A couple of days ago the children got into their period clothing, most of them for the first time except for try-ons. They practiced first person interpreting on our Colonial Education Site with plain-clothed interpreters for pretend visitors. Here are a couple of pictures Penny caught of their work that day.

A couple of days ago Mary asked if we have another Big Project in the pipeline for when the jacket is finished. She wrote “don’t cringe” but what I actually responded with was a sort of manic giggle. Yes, we sort of do have another or few big ideas. One is the 2009 Symposium, which I wrote about yesterday. The exhibit that the jacket will be part of is actually a pretty big project, and pretty “wardrobe heavy” which means lots of hands-on work for us. There’s enough talk about a book about creating this jacket that I think that is very likely, even probable. We’ve even started thinking about another big Volunteer Project, but I’m so not ready to let that cat out of the bag right now. It isn’t likely to be something very similar to the jacket, but it ,will be similarly awesome, ambitious and unique.

Courtesy of Betty (who took them) and Penny (who scanned them) I’ve got some pictures of the party Penny organized for Shaina last week.

Here’s Shaina being surprised. She was looking here and there, so this one’s a little blurry, but you can still see how pleased she is.

The next one is Penny and Shaina with their party hats on. In addition to taking the pictures, Betty, who is Penny’s mom, also put up all the decorations and generally set up the party.

Next we have a group photo – from left that’s Kate, who wears two hats, one as an interpreter in the English Village and one as the interim intern coordinator for Plimoth. Our new intern and volunteer coordinator, Denise, just started a week or two ago so Kate is passing the reins and getting ready to begin graduate school in the Winterthur museum studies program later this summer. Next to her is Kelley, who has been working in the Colonial Wardrobe department since January. From January to March she was working full time with us, mending and hand finishing garments. Starting in March she went back to work as an interpreter in the English Village and aboard Mayflower II but continues working with us one day a week helping to get the clothes ready for our child volunteer program, which we’re expanding this summer (sorry, you have to be the child of a Plimoth employee). Next are Ruth and Meredith, long time volunteers with the Colonial Wardrobe department. They’re all admiring photos of Shaina’s wedding dress, a Victorian tour-de-force she is making herself (it’s almost done). No, can’t show you till after the wedding. You never know, Shaina’s fiance might check in.

One last picture. These two are having just too much fun.