> -----Original Message-----
> ...> Behalf Of Harold Needham
> Sent: October 24, 2000 04:57
> ...> Subject: Re: Children and static displays
>The "shock" effect of discovering a costumed interpreter in a museum where
>none are expected can pay big dividends with both adults and children."

I visited the Canadian War Museum, a favourite stop of mine, in Ottawa while
on military duty in the early 1970s. I was serving with the Seaforth
Highlanders of Canada at that time as an officer, and my uniform, a brown
officer's Service Dress tunic and kilt, was almost identical to those worn
by our officers in World War I. In fact, the Sam Browne belt that I was
wearing was worn in WWI by my Grandfather, and was also worn in WWII by my
father.

In the Canadian War Museum was a small World War I trench 'dugout' display
room with a Lewis light machine gun bolted onto the trench parapet for
visitors to see and touch. I was very interested in it and so I stood behind
it in the firing position to have a close look at it and to get the feel of
it. Just then a family of four came into the 'dugout' through the burlap
curtain behind me. I simply stayed motionless. I could tell from the voices
that there was a father, a mother and two children.

The mother, assuming that I was a mannequin obviously, came over and started
to lift up the back of my kilt. I slowly turned around. All I saw was the
father backing out through the curtain - apologizing. His wife and kids and
had already disappeared!

Do you think that family remembers their visit to the Canadian War Museum?

By the way, although I was not employed by that museum, I was an Historic
Interpreter with Parks Canada's National Historic Sites at the time. I would
gladly have chatted with them about our military history - had they chosen
to stay. :-)

Colin Macgregor Stevens,
Captain (Canadian Armed Forces - Reserves)
Curator,
Burnaby Village Museum,
Burnaby, British Columbia, CANADA

E-mail:  [log in to unmask]
Phone:(604) 293-6500
FAX:  (604) 293-6525
Museum web site:
http://www.burnabyparksrec.org/villagemuseum/villagemuseum.html

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).