Monthly E-News from Michael Bouman, Executive Director
Missouri Humanities Council
Contents:
- Chautauqua Scrapbook
- State Fair Preview
- Smithsonian's "Key Ingredients" in Missouri
- Orphan Train Reenactment in Belton
- Save Our History Grants - Deadline October 21 at The History Channel
- Grants to Support Faculty Workshops on American Culture - Deadline August 10 at NEH
- "Motherless Child," a Reflection on Mothers
Chautauqua Scrapbook
Imagine a week-long festival where people add to their knowledge of history. Imagine history programs that are experiences! Imagine programs to interest the whole family. Imagine being able to ask Teddy Roosevelt about the creation of national parks. That's the Chautauqua experience, and that's why it's our flagship program.
But why take my word for it? A woman named Joy Moll decided to make the Pike County Chautauqua one of her "43 things to do when I turn 43," and she created a scrapbook of that experience at this web site:
http://joy.mollprojects.com/myprojects/chautauqua/index.html
Thanks so much, Joy! We all hope you have a wonderful birthday year!
Based
on this "America the Bountiful" Chautauqua, we have just added
two of the scholars to our program bureau for the coming year. Paxton
Williams will portray George Washington Carver, and Glenna Wallace will
portray Mary Elizabeth Lease. For details of how to contact them,
please check our web site.
We still have openings for communities to host Chautauqua in 2006. The deadline for application is September 15. For detailed information, please call my colleague, Kathryn Ballard, here at (800) 357-0909. Printed details and forms are on our web site:
http://www.mohumanities.org/programs/chautauqua/index.htm
State Fair Preview
Come visit us at the Mo-Ag Theatre! Every day of the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia we are onstage at 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. Featured historical characters include Fred Harvey, Harry Truman, George Shannon, and pictured at left, Jim "Two Crows" Wallen in "Off to the Gold Fields!" Detailed schedule online at:
http://www.mohumanities.org/programs/chautauqua/mostatefair05.htm
Smithsonian's "Key Ingredients" in Missouri
Our partnership with the Smithsonian Institution continues with the much-anticipated exhibit on food and culture. Here's a picture of the people from six sponsoring towns who came to Ste. Genevieve recently to learn to assemble the exhibit in its first site.
Photo by Susie Hess
There are upcoming events in Ste. Genevieve this weekend and thereafter. Here's an Adobe PDF document about some of them.
http://www.mohumanities.org/E-News/July05/key ingredients new info.pdf
Photo by Carolyn Fisher
Orphan Train Reenactments in Belton
The Cass County Living History Guild has created an original drama, "Meet the Orphan Train," set in 1900. When I think of "living history" in Missouri, Cass County comes to mind as a place where it thrives.
In this dramatic program, orphans arrive on a train from New York City and some are selected by local citizens. These trains are in the family stories of many Missourians. See the drama on the following Saturdays at the Belton, Grandview, and Kansas City Railroad, 502 Walnut, Belton. For reservations or more information call (816) 331-1905 or (816) 331-9263. Sponsored by the Cass County Historical Society. Or e-mail Carol Bohls at cchs@iland.net or Ann Taylor, a descendent of an orphan train rider, at oletaylor@webtv.net.
"Save Our History" Grants
Based on its success among history organizations and schools in 2004-2005, The History Channel, in collaboration with The American Association for State and Local History and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, is proud to announce the 2005-2006 Save Our History Grant Program.
Last year, The History Channel awarded $250,000 in
grants to
twenty-nine local history organizations in twenty-seven states across
the country. A diverse mix of museums, historic sites, preservation organizations,
historical societies, archives, libraries, and other organizations were
awarded grants in 2004-2005.
To read abstracts of the outstanding 2004-2005 Save Our History grant
projects, please visit
http://www.saveourhistory.com
To help achieve its mission of supporting history education and
historic preservation, The History Channel will commit $250,000 towards
Save Our History grants to local history organizations that design and
execute Save Our History local history education and preservation projects
in collaboration with local schools or youth groups. History organizations
will be able to apply for grants of up to $10,000 to help fund unique,
hands-on student projects created to teach students about important aspects
of their local history and to actively engage them in the preservation
of significant and potentially endangered pieces of their local heritage.
If your organization has an existing educational program, challenge yourself to create a unique, rewarding Save Our History project. If you are interested in creating new educational programming, Save Our History provides an excellent platform for you to do so. If you have questions on how to get started, a Save Our History representative will be happy to provide guidance and support. Please email us at info@saveourhistory.com.
* July 8, 2005 - 2005-2006 Save Our History grant application will be
posted
* August 2005 - 2005-2006 Save Our History Educator's Manual available
* October 21, 2005 - Completed Save Our History grant applications due
* December 2005 - Save Our History grant recipients notified
* May 2006 - Save Our History National Honors event in Washington DC recognizing 2005-2006 grant recipients
Please visit www.saveourhistory.com after July 8, 2005 for further
details on guidelines and judging criteria.
NEH Invitation to Develop Faculty Workshops
The Division of Education Programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities seeks applications for Landmarks of American History and Culture: Workshops for School Teachers and Landmarks of American History and Culture: Workshops for Community College Faculty to take place in the summer of 2006.
These grant opportunities are part of the "We
the People"
initiative, which is designed to enhance the teaching, study, and understanding
of American history and culture. Landmarks of American History and Culture
workshops bring groups of K-12 teachers or community college faculty together
for intensive, one-week, residence-based workshops at or near significant
American sites. Eligible applicants include museums, libraries, cultural
and learned societies, state humanities councils, colleges and universities,
schools and school districts. Collaborative programs are encouraged.
For details about the program, some sample projects, and application
guidelines, go to http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/landmarks.html
(Workshops for School Teachers) or
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/landmarkscc.html (Workshops for Community College Faculty).
Current Landmarks of American History and Culture: Workshops for School Teachers are described at http://www.neh.gov/projects/landmarks-school.html. Current Landmarks of American History and Culture: Workshops for Community College Faculty are described at http://www.neh.gov/projects/landmarks-college.html.
Note that the deadline is fast approaching: August 10th!
As always, Division of Education program officers are available to help out, whether it's to discuss your ideas or to read a draft proposal. Here are their names and contact information:
Thomas Adams, 202-606-8396, tadams@neh.gov
Douglas Arnold, 202-606-8225, darnold@neh.gov
Barbara Ashbrook, 202-606-8388, bashbrook@neh.gov
Sonia Feigenbaum, 202-606-8490, sfeigenbaum@neh.gov
Gary Henrickson, 202-606-8241, ghenrickson@neh.gov
Judy Jeffrey Howard, 202-606-8398, jhoward@neh.gov
Julia Nguyen, 202-606-8213, jnguyen@neh.gov
Robert Sayers, 202-606-8215, rsayers@neh.gov
Motherless Child
I've been thinking lately about mortality and "eternal life." Can't help thinking about eternity, you know; it's the condition of our lives. My memoir is on another page here someplace....oh yes: