RIP, BB, HB, NT, and CP

Wow, it's been awhile since I got in a post! By the time I'm finished here, you'll see why. It's been a very busy week...lots of major events that I'll go through chronologically for ya'll. :)

RIP:
On Friday I went to Sioux Falls with Clay and Cindy because Clay had a check up at the Veteran's Affairs Hospital. Of course, we got in some shopping and a sushi run, but the day was most memorable for the sad news Cindy received when we got home. One of her full-time co-workers had passed away that afternoon of a heart attack. Of course that put a huge wrench into the weekend, since he had been very key in planning the Beach Boys concert. I was glad I could be there for her, she didn’t hardly sleep that night and neither did I. I had only met Kent on Wednesday, but that’s all the time I needed to know he was a really great guy. That was definitely a part of this mentorship I hadn’t planned on dealing with.

BB:
BEACH BOYS!!! Cindy and I arrived at the Indian Village at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday to begin set-up. Without Kent, our workload was much greater, and the girls who usually run the front desk had just found out about his passing that morning. So…being the girl that didn’t know him so well, I covered the front desk and managed the costumers and gift shop while they got through the morning preparing for the concert away from the public eye. It was a difficult morning for everyone, but the evening was SOOO worth it!
The gates opened at 6:00 and the VIP reception began at 6:30. Me and two local high school girls ran the merchandise table, so we were very busy right up to concert time at 8:30. We were so busy, I almost missed my chance to meet Mike Love, but I made it just in time! Got some amazing pictures as well! We had a crowd of over 2,000 people and did GREAT at the merchandise table.

HB:
Hat boxes. Sunday was a hard day because we spent our day off cleaning up from the concert. The property got vandalized after the stage crew left, so we had a great gift of destruction waiting when we arrived. Cindy also began the difficult and painful process of looking for someone to replace Kent. Planning and running the concert was difficult enough, but dealing with the death of a great employee and close friend only adds to the difficulty. She needs a vacation. Monday was not much easier, even though it felt good to be back at DD after being away for 3 days. I was very thankful when Lori let me hide in the basement all day make plastic hat boxes. We have TONS of hats in the DD basement, most of which are not properly stored. We had 2 volunteers last year that spent all winter making acid-free plastic boxes to keep them in. Unfortunately, making the boxes is much harder for 70 and 80 year old ladies, and personally, I didn’t feel comfortable giving them a dimly-lit room, a huge ruler, and a utility knife. So, I gladly achieved 5 hours of alone time and made 15 hat boxes. That was my Monday, and I was thankful for a chance to be alone in the basement to clear my head from the weekend, and brace myself for my last week at DD.

NT:
National Treasure….yup, there’s a map that’s right at 200 years old in the DD basement. No, it’s not on the back of a document, but yes, I do think it’s pretty amazing and I definitely felt like Ben Gates and the Declaration of Independence as I carefully removed it from its frame and began examining it on Tuesday.
We had a living history event Tuesday night. A few actors arrived around 11. After a tour of the museum, I took them out to lunch and then we all went to Einstein’s, the local costume shop. Quite a menagerie of costumes! I could spend HOURS in there! I was lucky enough to be able to dress up and play a historic character with them, which was very exciting. Lori let me portray one of the women whose wedding dress was in my wedding dress exhibit, which was very cool! We didn’t have a lot of visitors, but we sure had a good time, and I personally enjoyed getting to split my Tuesday between time in the basement with a 1722 map of the U.S. and upstairs with a 1904 wedding dress.

PC:
Pouring concrete! We still have lots of wedding dresses we need to get on frames before we can open up the entire exhibit, so since it was Wednesday (our office day) Lori and I ran some errands then set to work making dress forms out of Styrofoam. Back to what I was doing on my first day….that was kinda interesting. We decided to mount them we’re going to try sticking them on wooden poles we have cemented in ice cream buckets. Pretty neat strategy, and most people don’t realize how creative and hand-crafty you need to be to do this job. We cut the wooden poles with a hand saw, then mixed the concrete in a gallon bucket before pouring it into the ice cream buckets. Again, I’m constantly amazed at the huge variety of skills you can use while being a museum director.

I know this has been a long post, but hey, it’s what I get for having a semi-lame laptop and being so busy. It hasn’t stopped raining since the Beach Boy’s concert. We had perfect weather that night, but every day since then has been downright depressing. Hoping for some sunshine later this week. Still,, I’m very happy with how the concert went and what I’ve been able to do at DD…always something new, right up to the bitter end, let me tell you. Enjoy the pictures!

Me with Beach Boys founder and lead singer MIKE LOVE!!! :)

John Stamos posed for a picture backstage....still gorgeous Uncle Jesse to me! :)

Cutting out hat boxes in the basement...

My first living history character! :)