9:00 to 9:30 am / Welcome and virtual tour of site
9:45 to 10:45 am Session / “Save Your Voice” for Your Site – Vocal Health Preservation in the Time of COVID and Beyond
Presenter: Cece Otto, American Songline
Living historians work hard to maintain and preserve history, but then when you add in COVID, masks, smoke, and more, you can often neglect the one thing that’s a huge part of the equation – your voice. In this session/discussion, we’ll be talking about how to combat vocal fatigue given these new challenges and what healthy vocal production looks like, and I’ll share some simple tips to keep your voice in tip-top shape, both now and in the years to come.
11:00 to 12:00 pm Session / Thriving by Creating Something New
Presenter: Kay Demlow, Lavender’s Green Historic Clothing
Changing times take away our stable routines and normal work habits. In March my local living history sites and reenacting groups faced the reality of having to cancel every single scheduled event. Without the focus of those short-term goals, I needed a new project!
A serendipitous purchase of an antique armoire led me to create “The 1909 Wardrobe Project”. In this session I will describe how the research, the inventory on hand, my own interests and even the site (my 1909 Foursquare house) came together to give me a focus for my creativity – and the energy to turn it into a series for my blog!
We will save time at the end for discussion, because even if you don’t need a new wardrobe, the chances are that you have some possibilities for creativity in changing times, too.
1:00 to 1:30 pm Business Meeting
1:45 to 2:45 pm Session / Thriving in Changing Times: Keeping a Ghost Town Funded in a Pandemic
Presenter: Chris Spiller, Bodie Foundation
Bodie State Historic Park, a California State Park in Eastern California, depends on a non-profit cooperating association for a consistent source of funding. The Bodie Foundation is dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and public enjoyment of Bodie State Historic Park and two other nearby state parks.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented a challenge for the Bodie Foundation and State Parks staff as we worked together to remodel the Foundation sales area at Bodie and present special events in a safe manner to allow us to generate funds crucial to the park’s operations and stabilization needs. This presentation will discuss how we kept employees, volunteers and our visitors safe by using some very simple tools such as iPhones, Plexiglas, and requiring social distancing and masks on our private tours.
3:00 to 4:00 pm Session / Food for Thought: On the Menu is COVID
Presenter: Linda Evans, High Desert Museum
This is a roundtable discussion. Please bring to the table two positive things you have learned or observed and your most significant challenge. Side choices are: How is the virus affecting your job, business, institution, or interpretation? Pick your side choices prior, as round tables work best when timed.
