Jan. 12, 2009

The Michigan Historical Museum will come alive with costumed interpreters, craft demonstrations and musical presentations highlighting the innovative creativity of Michigan's people during the museum's annual Statehood Day celebration on Saturday, Jan. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free of charge, and the first 100 visitors will enjoy a piece of cake to celebrate Michigan's 172nd birthday.

"We've brought together costumed interpreters to illustrate how Michiganians have made the best of good times and bad, live demonstrations of crafts from the past - looking at how Michiganians "make do" during hard times - and tips on how modern-day Michiganians can conserve resources and make money-saving items," said Phillip C. Kwiatkowski, director of the Michigan Historical Museum System. "Statehood Day will also feature musical performances that set the stage for a journey through Michigan history."

Highlights of the day include:

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Making Music with Doug Berch
Creating music is more than playing an instrument. Enjoy banjo tunes and watch as Doug Berch explains how he chooses wood and other materials to create hand-made dulcimers.

2 to 3 p.m. - Music of Michigan with Wanda Degen
Popular with mid-Michigan residents, Wanda Degen sings tunes from Michigan's past and accompanies herself on dulcimer and autoharp.

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. - Costumed interpreters and Craft Demonstrations

• Costumed interpreter John Anderson, portraying a French voyageur, describes how the voyageurs learned life skills from the Native Americans.



• Members of the 47th Regiment of Foot, British Regular Re-enactors, detail how British soldiers at Michigan forts adapted to life on the frontier.



• Costumed characters in various museum galleries detail life during the tough times in Michigan and how these experiences enhance our understanding of the people of our past.



• The Creative Cut-Ups Quilters, Capitol City Quilt Guild, show how women re-used fabrics to produce beautiful bedding. Try your hand at developing a quilt pattern through a fun, hands-on activity.



• Greater Lansing Woodcarvers members demonstrate their skills at creating handcrafted items.



• Naturalist Randy Clarke demonstrates how to carve wooden duck decoys and displays examples of the carving process.



• Displays by the Greater Lansing Go Green! Initiative and Consumers Energy provide information on how to better use energy resources and green power.



• Museum docents stationed in various galleries demonstrate how to make braided rugs, needle-punch embroidery, red-work, cross-stitch and hooked rugs as they explain how re-using fabrics and creative ornamentation with needle and thread allowed women to decorate their homes with little expense. Through hands-on demonstrations, learn how easy it is to make many of these crafts and be inspired to create similar crafts at home.



• Visitors will discover how to use recycled household items to create "green crafts."

The Michigan Historical Museum is located inside the Michigan Library and Historical Center at 702 West Kalamazoo St., two blocks west of the State Capitol in downtown Lansing. The main entrance and visitor parking are located off of Kalamazoo Street, just east of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Museum hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Admission and weekend parking are free.

The Michigan Historical Museum, the flagship of the Michigan Historical Museum System, is fully accredited by the American Association of Museums. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/museum or call (517) 373-3559, TDD (517) 373-1592.

The Michigan Historical Museum System is a division of the Michigan Historical Center, an agency of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL). Dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity, HAL also includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).