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Calling all volunteers! Are you passionate about living history? Do you have a unique skill that you want to share with the public? Do you enjoy participating in historical reenactments? Then Historic Washington State Park is the place for you!

Throughout the rest of this year, Historic Washington State Park has several exciting events where you can volunteer and join us in sharing your talents, crafts, and hobbies! They are as follows:

• September 19 & 20: Frontier Days

• • This weekend focuses on early frontier/Arkansas settler themes, with Friday the 19th designated as the day for schools and Saturday the 20th designated for the general public. We will have various staff and volunteers dressed up at various interactive sites depicting aspects of early pioneer life (log house, early farming & food preparation, blacksmithing, etc.). 

• October 18: Harvest Hootenanny

• • This event is more of a fall festival type event with lots of community involvement. The main focus here is the harvest season. We will have various staff and volunteers dressed up at various interactive sites depicting aspects of early farming, plowing, food preservation, festive activities (music, vintage dancing, historic games, etc.), weaving, basket making, and more.

• October 31 & November 1: Town in Conflict

• • This weekend focuses on the Civil War, with Friday the 31st designated as the day for schools and Saturday the 1^st designated for the general public. We will have various staff and volunteers dressed up at various interactive sites depicting different aspects of the Civil War (soldier drills, early medicine, life on the home front, etc.).

• December 12 & 13: Christmas and Candlelight

• • This event focuses on the holiday season and Christmas festivities throughout the 19^th century. Each historical home represents a specific timeframe of the 19^th century with different costuming and activities reflecting the time period at each site. There is also a Jewish home in the park where staff interpret Jewish holiday traditions and the family history. Activities include rag doll making, Christmas caroling, candle making, live music, etc.

If any of these events sound like a match for you, contact the park today! Please reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator Rachel Coble by email at rachel.coble@arkansas.gov or by phone at (870) 983-2640 for more information on volunteering at the park.

The Arkansas Living History Association will be hosting a living history training at Fort Town Historic Site on Saturday, June 28, 2025 from 9am—3pm. Classroom sessions will cover the basics of how to do a living history presentations and events.

 All are welcome to attend the training. Registration is $10 per person. Lunch will be provided.  To register for the training, contact Fort Towson Historic Site at 580-873-2634 or Fttowson@history.ok.gov.  The registration deadline is Wednesday, June 25. Fort Towson Historic Site is located at 896 North 4375 Road, Fort Towson, Oklahoma 74735.

 The Arkansas Living History Association is dedicated to the advancement of living history as a form of interpretation, the encouragement of interaction and cooperation between individuals and institutions engaged in living history, the promotion of professional standards among living historians and at living history sites, and the development of public support for and interest in living history in Arkansas.

Arkansas Living History Association offers scholarships to the annual Association of Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums conference providing registration only. Scholarship recipients must be members of ALHA, or must become members upon acceptance. 

To apply, email the an application to the committee at the following email.

alhapresidency@gmail.com

by April 10th:

• Reason for wanting to attend the conference

• Reason for needing assistance

• Current area of study (students) or current position

• Year in school or length of time in position

Please provide as much detail as possible so that the committee can make an informed decision.

The 2025 Arkansas Living History Association Annual Conference will be held at Hunter's Home, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The theme is "Back to Our Roots." Go to conference registration by clicking here.

Current trends in the world of living history museums seem to be attempting to invent the next big thing.  Light shows, carnivals, modern technological wonders, playgrounds and water parks are showing up in living history museums all around the country.  But maybe we don't need to look to the future for the next big thing. Could looking to the past make our museums marketable and profitable? Looking to living history museums from the "golden age" of living history, emphasizing the history of our sites, and the skills our sites encompass to create hands-on opportunities for visitors of all ages may be exactly what the world of living history needs! Going "Back to our Roots" could be the answer.

 Early Bird Registration ends February 15th, and final Registration will close by Friday, February 22nd. For more information on Hunter' Home go to https://www.okhistory.org/sites/huntershome

Scholarships

ALHA offers scholarships to the annual conference that cover registration and a portion of lodging expenses. Scholarship recipients must be members of ALHA, or must become members upon acceptance. Scholarship recipients will also be asked to supply an article for the ALHA website.

To apply, email the an application Leita Spears at the followingemail.

alhapresidency@gmail.com

by January 26th:

• Reason for wanting to attend the conference

• Reason for needing assistance

• Current area of study (students) or current position

• Year in school or length of time in position

Please provide as much detail as possible so that the committee can make an informed decision.

Current trends in the world of living history museums seem to be attempting to invent the next big thing.  Light shows, carnivals, modern technological wonders, playgrounds and waterparks are showing up in living history museums all around the country.  But maybe we don't need to look to the future for the next big thing. Could looking to the past make our museums marketable and profitable? Looking to living history museums from the "golden age" of living history, emphasizing the history of our sites, and the skills our sites encompass to create hands-on opportunities for visitors of all ages may be exactly what the world of living history needs! Going "Back to our Roots" could be the answer.

The Arkansas Living History Association seeks proposals for workshops, sessions, panels, and presentations for the 2025 Conference in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. To submit a proposal, please fill out the form on the back. Attach additional sheets if necessary.  Submissions will be accepted by mail or email.  All presenters are expected to register for the full meeting or the day on which they present.

Deadline for submitting proposals is

December 6, 2024

ALHA Conference 2025 Session Call Form
 

 

Scholarships

ALHA offers scholarships to the annual conference that cover registration and a portion of lodging expenses. Scholarship recipients must be members of ALHA, or must become members upon acceptance. Scholarship recipients will also be asked to supply an article for the ALHA newsletter.

To apply, email the following information to Leita Spears

 leita.spears@gmail.com

by January 26th:

• Reason for wanting to attend the conference

• Reason for needing assistance

• Current area of study (students) or current position

• Year in school or length of time in position

Please provide as much detail as possible so that the committee can make an informed decision.

Registration will be posted in the next few days for the conference and annual meeting being held March 1 - 3, 2024 at Historic Washington State Park. Please keep checking back often.

Need a scholarship to attend? Details on applying coming next. 

The theme of this year's conference is, "Looking for Truth in America's Historic Places." As “living historians,” we choose our topics and investigate our sources to weed out fact from fiction. One way to do this is by sticking primarily to our primary sources. However, artificial intelligence today is making it harder to distinguish between what is real or false in this day and age. Succeeding generations will be using it more and more. Therefore, since artificial intelligence is here to stay, can it be used with living history to reach the new generation? How can it be used in the future to interpret history accurately?

The Arkansas Living History Association and the Southeast section of the Association of the Living History, Farm, and Agricultural Museums seeks proposals for workshops, sessions, panels, and presentations for the 2024 Conference in Washington, Arkansas. This conference will look at the different ways Living History educates our visitors about the past in the present. To submit a proposal, please fill out the form on the back. Attach additional sheets if necessary. Submissions will be accepted by mail, email, or fax. All presenters are expected to register for the full meeting or the day on which they present.

Deadline for submitting proposals is November 30, 2023

The theme of this year's conference is "Transporting Living History to New Destinations. " Transportation played a crucial role in developing the Arkansas we know and interpret as Living Historians today. These tangibles and intangibles that link one place to another also serve as a reminder to reflect on how we as an institution connect our resources to the visiting public. Are the systems we have in place creating a smooth and enjoyable experience for the visitor? How has your site navigated the hazards of COVID-19 and what new and novel ideas are you exploring in this time of uncertainty and change?

The Arkansas Living History Association seeks proposals for online workshops, sessions, panels, and presentations for the 2022 Conference. To submit a proposal, please fill out the form on the back.  Attach additional sheets if necessary.  Submissions will be accepted by mail or email.  All presenters are expected to register for the full meeting or the day on which they present.

2022 ALHA Call for Presentations 

Deadline for submitting proposals is

December 1, 2021