Hello. My name is Ruth Haus, and I am the President of Living History Farms. I want to welcome you to Living History Farms and the 2013 season. I would like to give thanks to our Premier Partners,
John Deere, Bravo Greater Des Moines, and the Living History Farms Race.
I am excited to share that Silos and Smokestacks, a nationally designated heritage area, awarded the Golden Silo Award to Living History Farms for Outstanding Interpretation this year.
Some of you are longtime friends of the Farms and visit regularly. For others, you may be visiting for the very first time. In any case, we want you to enjoy your experience here! Our season theme this year is “Technology” and we have an array of hands on activities that invite you to explore what Living History Farms has to offer.
Members are offered many privileges including unlimited general season admission, discount on special events and Day Camp registrations, and early reservations for our Historic Dinners. New for members this season is a program we call “Member Mondays,” where special crafts and activities are available exclusively for members at select historic sites from June-August.
For parents and grandparents of preschoolers, we invite you to register for our popular Barnyard Readers program. Children will hear stories about a barnyard animal from a historical interpreter and get to visit with a real animal on one of our historic sites. Come meet our resident pigs, cows, chickens, horses, sheep and oxen.
For children in grades entering Kindergarten through 8th grade, check out our popular summer Day Camp programs. These camps give kids a chance to experience history, nature, and each other, without sitting in front of a TV, computer, or cell phone screen. The creek walk is a favorite for all of our campers. We will once again offer our Pioneer Family Camp experience so parents can join in the fun at the end of the summer.
Registration will open in August for our fall/winter Historic Dinner and Tea programs. Each dinner is a 2 ½ hour experience like no other, using historic recipes to create a memorable and delicious meal.
New events this year include a Flynn Barn Dance and an Ioway Culture Day at the 1700 Farm. We are also excited to invite you to a new travel exhibit on loan to us from the Gilda Lehrman Institute of American History in New York. The exhibit tells us about life during the Progressive Era and how technology changed both work and home life.
Discover the art and science of keeping warm October 2-6th at our annual quilt show. If you enjoy quilting, this is definitely a rare opportunity you won’t want to miss. We only bring these rare quilts out once a year for display in the Flynn Mansion.
Join us October 12 for a harvest extravaganza when Living History Farms will host its 5th annual gala, Farmstasia, to honor a teacher of the year and raise funds for our educational programs.
Our touring season will come to a close with our popular family Halloween beginning October 17th.
Back by popular demand is our traditional Christmas celebration on December 7th held at the newly restored Flynn Mansion this year.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Warmly,
Ruth Haus
President, Living History Farms
