You will find them on Civil War battlefields and at medieval banquets.
They show up at mountain-man rendezvouses and railroad camps. You'll see them at pioneer villages and historical farms. They spin wool. They tend forges. They drive wagons.
They are people for whom history is anything but dry and dead.
They are historical re-enactors, and Terrell Dougan is one of them. Dougan, who has appeared as Mary Fielding Smith as well as other pioneer women during celebrations at This Is the Place Heritage Park, loves the chance to make history come alive. "It is truly so fun," she says. "There is nothing more fun and exciting than walking back in time — and taking other people with you."
Dougan is one of a bunch of historical re-enactors who gathered for a conference recently at This Is the Place Heritage Park. It was co-sponsored by the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville and the National Oregon/California Trail Center in Montpelier, Idaho.
The three living-history centers are largely staffed by volunteers, said Dave Sidwell, director of the American West Heritage Center and a conference organizer. "We wanted to have a fun event that would help them get training."
The main focus of this year's conference was customer service, showmanship and entertainment, said Sidwell, who is also a professor of theater at Utah State University. "A lot of these people already know their history. We want to help them reach out to visitors." He hopes the conference will become an annual event and that coming years will help the re-enactors hone their skills in other areas as well.
The conference started off with an old-fashioned dinner and dance on Friday night. Many of the participants came in historical attire and whirled around the schoolhouse to the music of the all-woman band Sassafras. They waltzed, did the Virginia reel and tried out some circle dances, all called by Gus Horn.
"I love history and I love to dance," said Horn, who has been calling old-fashioned dances for six or seven years now. "The old ones are a lot of fun, a lot different from what's being done now. Most people don't know these old dances, but there are some wonderful melodies."
On Saturday, storyteller Daniel Bishop talked about showmanship. "Most people associate history with sitting at a desk learning dates," he said, "and that leaves a bad taste in their mouths. The way to get them interested in history again is through stories."
Stories, he said, can be used to enlighten, educate and entertain, but they have to be interesting. "The leading cause of story death is boredom. If the audience gets bored, the story dies."
He talked about story structure: Each one needs a beginning, a middle and an end. He talked about ways to learn a good story: memorization (learn and recite it word for word), internalization (know the story's sequence and main lines, and tell it as you go) and personalization (retell the story your own way with
your own words).
"Each story, like each storyteller, is different. Find what works best each time," he advised.
Cody Merchant, a mountain man re-enactor, also talked about storytelling. "Remember that if a story touches you, it will touch your audience," he advised. Choose your stories based on three criteria, he said: what interests you, who your audience is and how much time you have.
Joan Hammer, with the Box Elder County tourism office, gave tips on being a good host, on connecting and communicating with people and how to deal with various types of visitors. Marianne Sidwell, a member of the Sassafras band, taught a workshop on playing the dulcimer. Music is always a great addition to a historical presentation, she said, and the dulcimer is a great place to start. "It's very simple; even young kids can pick it up. And it comes from the Appalachians of the early 1700s, so it has a nice history to it."
Sidwell provided an overview of 19th-century history, since that's the period most of the re-enactors work in. It was a time of "Romanticism with a capital R — the good guys won and the bad guys lost," he said. "There was a lot of interest in nature. And in art, a lot of other isms: naturalism, symbolism and expressionism."
In food, it was a time "when complex recipes came along, and breadmaking brought new heights. There were new ways of processing, storing and harvesting food." Over the course of the century, music, too, changed a lot. "Do you realize that wax cylinders were popular longer than cassette tapes, certainly longer than eight-track tapes?"
The conference was a family affair, and there were sessions for kids on "burping, spitting and slouching, and other pioneer manners," as well as on hosting a Victorian-era tea party, playing pioneer games and doing old-fashioned crafts.
Kids are an important part of the story, said Dougan. One reason she became a re-enactor was to share the period with her grandchildren. "I want them to appreciate that time. It was hard, horrible work, but it was a simpler time. And sometimes it's nice to get in touch with how much we've lost."
It's also a way to honor heritage, she said. "This is a perfect place for anyone who loves heritage — and we honor the heritage of the Greeks, the Jews, the Catholics, the Indians. It's not just a Mormon thing."
Karen Holder sees volunteering at This Is the Place Heritage Park as a way to pay special tribute to her own pioneer ancestors. She demonstrates making lace at the park. "My great-grandmother made and sold lace to raise money to come with the Martin Handcart Company."
She also enjoys interacting with the visitors. "It's really fun to talk to the people who come here. They come from all over the world."
Ron and Nancy Anderson also have pioneer ancestry and volunteer at This Is the Place. "But we didn't share the passion of their life until we got involved here. Now it's what we do for fun, our recreation, our passion," said Nancy Anderson. "We jumped into the deep end," admitted Ron Anderson. "This is our 12th year." Knowing the past helps you appreciate the present, he said. "It's part of who we are."
And that's what living history is all about, said Sidwell. "Living history has living people. And they make a living connection with other people."
There are numerous ways that connection helps us, he said. "History helps us be more creative. Seeing how things were done in the past can open up new avenues of problem-solving. Any knowledge you have enhances your perspective, lets you do more. Living history is the best kind of history. It's so people-oriented, so sharing."
About the sponsors
American West Heritage Center, 4025 S. U.S. Highway 89-91, Wellsville. Interprets history from 1820-1930 through the Jensen Farm, a pioneer settlement, livery stable, opera house, general mercantile and other features. Open Monday-Saturday during the summer and on special weekends throughout the year. For information, call 435-245-6050 or log on to www.americanwestcenter.org.
This Is the Place Heritage Park, 2601 E. Sunnyside Ave., Salt Lake City. Interprets Utah's pioneer period with Old Deseret Village, complete with authentic and reconstructed houses, businesses, gathering places and more. Beginning May 10, the park will be open seven days a week, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., but tour times and Old Deseret Village hours will vary. For information, call 801-582-1847 or log on to www.thisistheplace.org.
The National Oregon/California Trail Center, corner of Highways 89 and 30, Montpelier, Idaho. Open Memorial Day through Sept. 30 or by appointment for group tours year-round. Interprets the trail experience through a simulated wagon ride, museum displays, historic re-enactors and more. For information, call 208-847-3800 or log on to www.oregontrailcenter.org.
Upcoming Historical Re-Enactor's Event
The 2nd Annual This Is The Place Mountain Man Rendezvous and Spring Frolic will be held May 11-13 at This Is The Place Heritage Park, 2601 East Sunnyside Ave. The event will feature contests such as a tomahawk throw, frying pan toss, tall-tale telling and traditional garb contest. Free admission to those in period clothing; otherwise, regular admission to the park.
Performance Notes for Storytellers
Tips from Ron Bishop on how to be a better storyteller:
1. Look your audience in the eye. Eye contact will engage your listeners and help keep them in the story.
2. Be interested in what you're saying. If you're bored with the story, how can your audience be anything else?
3. Know your story. If you are fumbling for what comes next, your listeners will never hear it. They will have gone somewhere else in their minds.
4. Live the moment. Be in the story. Feel what they feel, hear what they hear. Tell the story like you are in it.
5. Don't be afraid to move. Take your hands out of your pockets, put down your clipboard, give yourself some space to move around. Stiffness in body gives stiffness in story.
6. Be yourself. You are an interesting person. Let your own soul come out in your story. Don't be someone else, no matter how good you think they are, you as you will be better.
7. Have fun! If you're not having fun, then how can your audience? Storytelling is fun, so HAVE FUN!
E-mail: carma@desnews.com