Hands on History set to educate, entertain kids

The surroundings will be 21st century commercialism, customers at Holiday Village Mall will be busy shopping, but at center court and elsewhere in the mall, young people will be taking a step back in time.

They may be washing clothes using a 19th century washing tub and wringer. Or perhaps they will be panning for gold — or, rather, fool’s gold. Or they could be making sock puppets.

It will be the annual Hands on History. It is a fundraising effort for the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum and the Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump, and a chance for young people to learn through activities what life was like in previous eras.

“There are about 80 volunteers lined up to help,” said Elaine Morse, chair of the H. Earl and Margaret Turner Clack Memorial Museum Foundation.

There will be 24 events for kids to choose from, Morse said.

Among the more popular, she said, is the leather tooling program and a tea room display. Kids can attend an old-fashioned tea party. There will be clothes for the young people to dress up in — both boys’ and girls’ clothes — for the tea party that serves tea and cookies. The cookies are Rice Krispie treats, she said.

Some of the exhibits are sponsored by local businesses, she said, thus there will be no charge for the youth at those exhibits.

The activities with a fee cost two to four tickets each, she said. Tickets are two for $1.