Heritage and HistoryTelling Your StoryRe-enactments are events oriented or time oriented. Period oriented actors are groups of people who love to re-enact different periods of history (such as the prehistoric re-enactors at the Archaeology Weekend at Gladie Creek or the Long Hunters who set up camp at the Southeast Kentucky Folklife Festival in Clay County). There are also events-oriented groups, such as Civil War re-enactors who recreate the Battle of Wildcat Mountain.
Storytelling is a way to tell your community's actual history or to add flavor to a time period. Many people who think of themselves more as local historians than storytellers can engage an audience, especially a smaller audience, as they share their knowledge of the past. It is helpful to have a skilled facilitator to work with this type of storyteller to guide them in their performance and interactions. It is important to meet with the teller beforehand to find out what they plan to share and to make sure that it is not likely to rekindle bad feelings about old feuds. Professional storytellers can tell the type of folktales that were popular in different time periods. If they appear in period dress, the telling becomes more linked to the theme. They can tell to a large audience from a stage or in a more intimate setting with a smaller audience in a tent. In this type of setting, you can create atmosphere by using a rocking chair or other artifacts from the period represented. Exhibits: Antique farm machinery, spinning wheels, and other artifacts can be skillfully exhibited to show either a particular time period or the evolution of a tradition over time. Signage can be used to interpret the exhibit, or you might have listening stations, where people can listen to oral histories explaining how the implement was used. The addition of listening stations brings the exhibit to life. An example of listening stations can be found in Stearns (McCreary county) where oral histories are a part of a self-guided tour through the site of an abandoned coal town.
Demonstrations: Better yet, find someone who can make cider in the old press or demonstrate spinning yarn on the wheel. Again, period clothing can enhance the historic sense. Try to find someone who can both demonstrate and explain what they are doing, or pair a demonstrator with someone who can explain the process and field questions. (Demonstrators should be considered in the category of performers who need to be paid, or they will be distracted by trying to deal with sales during their demonstrations. A solution is to wave or reduce booth fees for craftspeople who agree to take turns providing demonstrations while a "booth sitter" handles their sales for them.
Hands on Activities: The best participation builder of all is hands on activities. There are two types - the quick activity that does not unduly interrupt traffic flow, and the sit-down activity that is in its own space. Quick activities can be individual projects (each person glues pre-cut pieces of paper onto a printed quilt pattern) cumulative activities (i.e. each person adds one tack to a quilt that is finished over the course of the day). The Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen is particularly skilled at including cumulative hands-on activities for children in their festival. Activities do not need to be complex. Remember the example of snapping beans. Simple activities often provide the activity for people to become acquainted or reminisce.
Living History Presentations: These include one act or full length plays using professional or amateur actors.
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