LOUDONVILLE—The Cleo Redd Fisher Museum in Loudonville announced a new summer program known as History Camp.
Open to students aged 10-13, the camp is designed to stimulate children’s creativity and allow them to experience history, architecture, art, crafts and games of diverse cultures while highlighting those of the area.
Campers will tour historic buildings and natural landscapes to introduce them to the history and activities that make the Mohican area unique. They’ll also get a chance to try their hand at numerous skills from the past, ranging from fire-starting to archery to cooking with cast iron.
The camp is led by Loudonville High School teacher and museum vice president Aimee Ross, who will be assisted by two educators. The development of the camp was funded by a community grant from the Mohican Area Community Fund and is assisted by organizational partnerships with the L-P School District, Mohican State Park, Ohio Theatre, Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and Malabar Farm Foundation.
For the museum, this has been a long process.
“We first began planning History Camp in 2018, with the hopes of introducing it in 2020 until the pandemic hit,” said the museum’s curator, Kenny Libben. “It’s been a priority for the museum to develop more educational activities for kids, and we hope that this camp is just the beginning.”
While this year the museum is only offering one-week-long day camp, organizers hope to expand it going forward.
“We’d love to work with other teachers to develop more week or half-week camps throughout the summer and can be tailored to fit the teachers' interests such as science, art, history, or more,” Libben said.
Any interested teachers are encouraged to reach out to him at the museum.
The camp is slated for June 13-17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Although there is a cost to register, full-ride scholarships are available for any families in need. Included in registration, each camper will receive a T-shirt, backpack, water bottle and other supplies as well as sack lunches. Interested families can learn more by visiting the museum’s website, www.crfmuseum.com, and selecting History Camp in the event listings. Registration is open, but space is limited, so families are encouraged to register soon.