Volunteers needed in Will County’s Heritage Village

Received via email:

Would you like to know how it feels to a be a Pioneer? Dress in a Pioneers Costume? Meet new people? Volunteers needed at the Will County Historical Society’s Heritage Village, in Lockport,Il

Our goal is to keep the Heritage Village open one weekend a month during the summer. It will take at least three volunteers to keep the buildings open & show people around.

We are looking for families or groups that would like to volunteer together. Children could play on the grounds with traditional toys, play games or just walk around in costume. Adults would monitor visitors to the school house, depot, farm house and calaboose.   Home school families could set up in the school house, sit at the desks and fell what it was like to learn in a one room school house atmosphere.

Costumes would be provided, but costumes are not mandatory.

Hours served will count toward community service hours for high-schoolers. Miles driven to the Village would be tax deductible.

If you , your family, or group would like to volunteer at the Heritage Village, please contact Sandy Vasko at 815-341-0226.

Wanted: Archeologists, no experience necessary

Their blurb:

A new year of archaeological excavation begins at Garfield Farm Museum. Directed by Jim Yingst, volunteers are encouraged to sign up to help dig, screen, and wash artifacts. Check the website for dates. No experience necessary, we will train you. Financial contributions are also welcomed.

My 10 year old is chomping at the bit about this one. I hope we can find time to get out and get our hands dirty in a real life archeological dig. Older teens can be dropped off (or drive themselves), but other kids are welcome with an adult if they will be a help and not distraction to the work. You do need to register in advance.

I just called for some more information, and they want each volunteer to commit to at least 8 hours of work to compensate for the initial training and learning curve. These do not all need to be at one time, but need to be done during dig hours of 8-5 Wednesday through Sunday. The dates for the dig are September 21-25, and September 28-October 2.

Looking at the video it says they are trying to track down the original cabin built on the site that was later replaced by the current home structure.

When: September 21-25 and September 28- October 2, 8am- 5pm — contact them for specifics on times and to arrange a time for your family/group to participate

Where: Garfield Farm Museum –on Garfield Road just north of Illinois Route 38 between Geneva and Elburn, Illinois. It is about 3 miles west of Randall Road, which is at the west edge of Geneva and St. Charles. From Illinois Route 38 turn north on Garfield Road and go about 1/4 mile to the Garfield Farm and Inn.

Putting this address into your GPS should get you there: 3N016 Garfield Road Campton Hills, IL 60175

More Information: 630 584-8485 or info@garfieldfarm.org

In preparation for the dig I would recommend a book (or internet search) on the topic to help the kids know what they are getting into. A book that we enjoyed a few years back and will probably reread again now is Archaeologists Dig for Clues. Written for early elementary kids this book will give a look into archeological terminology and methods.

Swap Shop coming to Elburn

This is an amazing opportunity that I heard about kind of late in the game last time around. It is coming again in two weeks, so no excuses! You’ve got extra stuff, grown out of stuff, unneeded stuff to pass on to another family. And, you need bigger stuff, new stuff, different stuff for the new season, growing kids, and yourself. This is the event for you!

It’s the Back to
School Moms’ Swap Shop!

Open to the public August 19th and 20th

What is a Swap Shop you may be wondering? It is an opportunity for
moms to swap out their clothing as well as their children’s gently used
clothing, shoes, books, and toys for other sizes and items. Children’s
and adult accessories as well as furniture will be accepted. The event
is hosted by Authentic Moms, a local Christian mom’s group. Whose
desire is to follow 1 John 3:16-18 and to love with actions and truth,
not just words and speech. The Elburn Community Center will host
this year’s event in their gym. This event is free. The Swap Shop begins
Friday, August 19th with drop-offs taken from 10am till 7pm. The
swapping starts Saturday August 20th, 9am till 2pm.

All items remaining will be donated to Wayside Cross Ministries.
More Swap Shop events to follow, with a Christmas Swap
December 9th and 10th.

For more information feel free to email authenticmoms@gmail.com

In case you are wondering — yes, this is the real deal. This is a great volunteer run quarterly event to help us manage our homes and our finances better. You donate what you don’t need on Friday. They organize it and Saturday everyone is welcome to come pick out new stuff. I walked out with a few bags of new-to-us clothes for my whole family last time. I cannot tell you what a blessing this was. So, take advantage of this easy way to bless others and be blessed yourself!