The Future is Here

Please be sure to check out the May program page for events this weekend and the rest of the month.

PA Lumber Museum hosted the Potter County Conservation District's 2018 Envirothon on Thursday. High school students tested their knowledge on a variety of environmental science topics. The winning team goes on to the state level contest. (See PLM's Facebook page for more info. UPDATE: see a photo of the winning team, from Coudersport, getting their awards.)

A number of items (including the photo above) drifted across my screen in the last couple of weeks that focused my attention on the "younger generation." Or generations, I guess I should say. So I thought I'd highlight some activities involving high school and college students. I'm sure there are other stories out there - feel free to share in the comments.

Interns and apprentices will be starting their summers on the Trails of History soon. Some applied through the PHMC's Keystone Summer Internship or Summer Apprenticeship programs. Some interns applied to their host sites directly or through their schools. Depending on their assignment and interests, they will learn construction and restoration skills, care and management of object and archival collections, interpretation of historic sites, management of historic preservation programs, and much more. I hope that you'll hear from some of them through guest blog posts on Trailheads (I'll be recruiting heavily once they get started). It's always a pleasure to see new faces and learn about their career plans. (If you're a former PHMC intern, give us a shout in the comments to let us know what you're up to - I know some of you are right here at PHMC.)

My Google Alerts clued me in to a story about the Sewickley Herald's 2018 Emerging Citizen, Katie Rostek, a senior at Quaker Valley High School, near Ambridge. Among many other activities, Katie is a member of Old Economy Village's Young Harmonist group, which learns about the history of the community and shares it with the public. According to the article, she plans to double major in political science and secondary education at Penn State. Congratulations to Katie and to all of our younger volunteers who are graduating high school and moving on to the next chapter in their lives.

Bushy Run volunteers on Charter Day 2018 celebrate funds raised (via Facebook)

When we talked about Charter Day programming back in March, I think I mentioned that Bushy Run Battlefield was open on Charter Day for the first time in a while due to the efforts of a local high school student working on her senior project at Penn-Trafford High School. Emily Liska (second from left in the above photo) coordinated activities for Charter Day and organized a marketing campaign (with a GoFundMe component) to help raise awareness of Bushy Run in the local community. She helped raise more than $1,000 to support activities at the site. Emily will be giving a presentation at the high school next week to share what she learned. Thank you, Emily, for your efforts.

I recently learned about an interesting new project through the Eckley Miners' Village volunteer newsletter. This semester, students in Prof. Dan Kimbrough's video class (Misericordia University's Dept. of Mass Communication and Design) have been working on a documentary about the history of Eckley and its impact on the region. As part of the production, they interviewed a number of volunteers and others at the village to gain their insights. Students screened their work yesterday for an audience that included folks from Eckley. Word has it that the documentary will be made available online. I'll share a link if and when I'm able to do so.

Mercyhurst University Dancers perform on the Erie Maritime Museum floor, the wind in our sails!  L-R, Emily Black, Caitlin Cummings and Olivia Duke (photo by Ashlyn Duke Photography, used with permission)

This final item comes from Linda Bolla at Erie Maritime Museum and U.S. Brig Niagara, who regular readers will recognize as our most prolific guest blogger. Last month, the museum hosted Erie's participation in a project called National Water Dance, "an artist-driven collective of dancers and educators confronting critical water issues facing the United States." With its proximity to Lake Erie, the museum was the perfect venue for this multi-media event led by a group from the Mercyhurst University Departments of Dance and Chemistry.

Doug Lodge performs in the museum lobby, dragging the weight of one week’s single use plastic bottles, as collected by students from Harborcreek Youth Services. (photo by Ashlyn Duke Photography, used with permission)

Linda writes:

Because winds were high and temps were unseasonably low on April 14th, the Erie event did not commence next to the water at 4:00 p.m., as it did simultaneously at other waterways throughout our nation. An indoor start did not diminish anyone’s enthusiasm! The Erie event is unique in its scope: in addition to dance, the museum hosted live jazz, sculpture, poetry and infographs created by Mercyhurst students, along with a multitude of partners from the community. Poetry and art remain on exhibit until May 4th. [editor's note: that's today!]

Highlights from the finale mainstage performance included choreography by Elizabeth Hite, who will graduate this term. Undercurrents is her Senior Capstone thesis project. When interviewed about her work, Elizabeth cited her concerns about the environment as inspiration for this piece, and noted the challenges of representing the beauty of water and the threat to it.

Undercurrents, performed by (1st row, l – r) Jenna Swartz, Emily Black, Sophia Thorman, Caitlyn Cummings, (2nd row, l – r) Olivia Duke, Hannah Schayes, Rachel Rhodanz, Katarina Flores. (photo by Ashlyn Duke Photography, used with permission)