I was on a committee that hosted a family history fair for our community. The fair was Saturday and was a big success! But, boy, am I sure glad its over (at least for this year). It takes a lot of work to pull something like this off. There were so many people contributing their time and expertise to make the fair successful. Here’s a look at the class schedule with names marked out for privacy and yes, there are a few mistakes so just laugh if/when you notice them.
In the gymnasium we had an exhibit hall with over twenty different exhibits all related to family history or genealogy.
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) The quilt on their table is a replica of one made in the early 1800s. The fabric was specially reprinted to match that used on the original quilt. It was gorgeous. I found out my kids can join the Children of the American Revolution and then the girls can join DAR when they turn 18. Some of Mr. Ferrero Rocher’s maternal ancestors were patriots in the Revolutionary War.
See your family tree in all sorts of different charts: fan charts from TenGenChart and i-chart-you and word art, photo trees, and more from TreeSeek as well as photo charts from FamilyChartMasters.
How many ways can you publish and share your family history? There were different books, booklets and binders on display and even a recording playing over and over of an interview.
Many families in our area are Basque. They are very good at passing on their traditions. There is even a Basque festival held every year complete with good food and traditional Basque dancing.
Traditions binding families together – from pancakes after church to cousins’ camp in the summers every family has certain traditions to build the strength of their family.
This one was our display of the outfits we have for the girls’ American Girl dolls that represent different female ancestors from pioneers to Mexican great-grandmothers to one wearing a replica of my wedding dress. As the girls have played with the dolls they have passed on the stories to the younger kids.
SWAK – Sealed with a Kiss – tips on delving back into the art of handwritten letters.
This particular class was on how to use puzzilla to find holes in your family tree. I learned a lot and am excited to try some new things. There were classes for beginning genealogists, indexing records, organizing photos, starting a family blog, fun family history activities, and so much more.
I love the idea of dressing the dolls in family heritage outfits. Are they just clothes you have bought that fit the culture, or did you make them? And what about the replica of your wedding dress?? Such a darling idea!
It’s a combination of both. About 10 years ago my older girls, ages 7 & 8 at the time, were really interested in their ancestors. Since we homeschool I made a unit specifically studying their female ancestors. I called my mother and grandmothers for information, as well as my husband’s mother and aunt. I wanted more than just genealogical information but also stories, especially ones about them when they were little if they were available. I thought it would be fun for my daughters to see what their ancestors were like. We had such a blast finding out which characteristics and interests were passed on, which ones they shared with different ancestors, etc. In the midst of our studies my mom sent a surprise package with specially made outfits she paid the neighbor to sew for the girls’ dolls. She used photographs to help her find material similar to what was actually worn. My girls LOVED dressing their dolls up and acting out the stories. As the younger girls got older the stories were passed on to them just while they played with dolls. It has been such a great way to connect generations!
My mother had the idea to have the lady who sewed my wedding dress sew a matching one for a doll. It was displayed at our reception and is only used for display at home. That is the one doll that is not allowed to be played with. 🙂
This looks great. My stake has scheduled a fair for October, so we’re just in the planning stages now, and it’s helpful to see how your sessions were scheduled, and the ideas for the displays, which we hadn’t considered.
Some of the displays were from non-members. It was great to get the whole community involved. I’ll e-mail you a description of the classes we had. It was a great mix and had something for everyone from the beginning genealogist to those more advanced.