BRINGING IT BACK TO 1836. ¶
¶ >> WELL, HERE WE ARE AT CONNER
PRAIRIE AND WHAT'S THE FIRST
THING WE SEE WHEN WE COME IN ARE
THESE BEAUTIFUL GINGERBREAD
HOUSES.
HOUSES. I'M HERE WITH CHRIS, THE PROGRAM
DIRECTOR.
DIRECTOR. AND I HEAR THIS IS QUITE THE
TRADITION HERE.
TRADITION HERE. >> THAT'S RIGHT.
THIS HAS BEEN A HOLIDAY
TRADITION HERE AT CONNER PRAIRIE
FOR THE PAST 23 YEARS AND EACH
YEAR IT KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND
BETTER.
BETTER. THIS YEAR IS NO EXCEPTION.
WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST ENTRIES
IN RECENT MEMORY.
THE CRAFTSMANSHIP AND ARTISTRY
IS SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO
SEE TO BELIEVE.
>> THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.
I SEE WE HAVE SOME RIBBONS ON
HERE.
HERE. SO IT'S ALSO A COMPETITION.
>> YES.
>> YES. WE HAVE VARIOUS CATEGORIES THAT
PEOPLE CAN ENTER INTO.
THIS IS CREATED BY A WHOLE
PLETHORA OF PEOPLE.
I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW MUCH TIME IT
WOULD TAKE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE
THIS.
THIS. YOU SAID MAYBE A COUPLE OF
MONTHS.
MONTHS. >> SOME OF THEM.
SOME OF THE MORE COMPLICATED,
MORE COMPLEX DESIGNS DO TAKE
SEVERAL WEEKS TO SEVERAL MONTHS
TO CREATE.
TO CREATE. SO IT ALL DEPENDS THE LEVEL OF
COMPLEXITY AND THAT'S REALLY ONE
OF TERRIFIC THINGS ABOUT
GINGERBREAD HOUSES.
GINGERBREAD HOUSES. IT'S A WONDERFUL ACTIVITIES THAT
FAMILIES CAN DO TOGETHER,
REGARDLESS OF YOUR SKILL LEVEL.
YOU CAN DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT
TO MAKE A SIMPLE HOUSE OR A MORE
COMPLEX HOUSE.
COMPLEX HOUSE. >> WELL, THESE ARE MORE KIND OF
PRESENT DAY.
PRESENT DAY. I HEAR YOU ALSO HAVE A LOT OF
HISTORY WITH GINGERBREAD AT AN
INN.
INN. >> THAT'S RIGHT, HE WILL BE
MAKING SOME GINGERBREAD THE WAY
THEY DID IN THE 19th CENTURY A
PRAIRIE TOWN.
PRAIRIE TOWN. >> I THINK WE WILL GO TAKE A
LOOK.
LOOK. THANK YOU, CHRIS.
>> THANK YOU.
¶
¶ >> WELL, WE JUST MADE IT HERE TO
PRAIRIE TOWN AND I JUST CAME
ACROSS JILL HERE OVER AT THE
GOLDEN EAGLE INN, WHICH WE WILL
TALK ABOUT IN A LITTLE BIT.
I WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
THIS VILLAGE.
THIS VILLAGE. THIS IS A RECREATION OF AN
INDIANA UP TO IN 1834?
>> '36.
>> '36. >> '36.
>> '36. OKAY.
OKAY. >> THERE NEVER WAS A TOWN HERE.
MR. WILLIAM CONNER BUILT THIS
HOUSE IN 1823 AND IT'S ON SITE
WHERE IT WAS BUILT, BUT THIS
TOWN IS JUST A REPRESENTATION OF
ALL THE LITTLE TOWNS THAT WERE
SPRINGING UP IN THE 1820s AND
'30s.
'30s. SO IT'S KIND OF A SIMULATION.
>> SO THERE'S A LOT OF EFFORT
THAT'S GOING ON, AS WE CAN JUST
SEE WALKING THROUGH TO MAKE IT
FEEL LIKE YOU ARE REALLY THERE.
HOW MUCH EFFORT AND RESEARCH
DOES THE STAFF DO TO MAKE IT
FEEL HIKE IT'FEEL LIKE IT'S AUT.
>> THE CANDLE LIGHT PROGRAM HAS
BEEN GOING ON FOR A LOT OF
YEARS.
YEARS. PEOPLE DID RESEARCH TO FIND OUT
HOW WAS CHRISTMAS CELEBRATED OR
WAS IT CELEBRATED IN 1836 IN
INDIANA?
INDIANA? WHAT SORTS OF THINGS WOULD
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING?
SO THESE ARE ALL CREATED
CHARACTERS THAT ARE PRETTY
TIGHTLY SCRIPTED.
TIGHTLY SCRIPTED. AS WELL AS CAN HANDLE ANY OTHER
QUESTION THAT COMES UP BECAUSE
OUR FACILITATORS ARE ALL
PROFESSIONALS AND THEY HAVE DONE
A LOT OF TRAINING AND RESEARCH
AND THICKS T THINGS TO MAKE SURT
THEY STAY IN CHARACTER SO YOU
GET THE FEELING THAT YOU ARE
TALKING TO SOMEONE FROM 1836 WHO
IS LIVING THIS LIFE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF ACTIVITIES
THAT THE GUESTS CAN IMMERSE
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. THEY CAN ENTER INTO THE WORLD OF
1836.
1836. THEY CAN HELP MRS. ZIMMERMAN
MAKE MINCEMEAT.
MAKE MINCEMEAT. THEY CAN GO DOWN AND JOIN THE
CANDLES AND GET READY FOR A BIG
SOIREE THAT THE CAMPBELLS ARE
HOLDING.
HOLDING. WE DO HAVE A JEWISH FAMILY HERE.
AND THEY WERE PLAYING WITH A
DREIDEL.
DREIDEL. AND THERE'S ROWDIES IN TOWN.
THEY ARE ALREADY CELEBRATING AND
I THINK W THEY WERE GETTING SOME
OF THE GUESTS TO HELP WITH THEIR
MISCHIEF AND HIJINK?
>> DID I HEAR THEY WERE MAKING
SOME MINCEMEAT?
SOME MINCEMEAT? >> YES.
>> YES. I THINK SHE'S MAKING MORE MEAT
TO MAKE THE MINCEMEAT.
>> WELL, WE'LL GO TAKE A LOOK.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> YOU'RE VERY WELCOME.
¶
¶ >> MRS. ZIMMERMAN.
>> OH, MR. HREN, IT'S GOOD TO
SEE YOU.
SEE YOU. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
US.
US. I JUST SMELLED THE AROMA AND I
WANDERED IN.
WANDERED IN. >> I DON'T KNOW TOO MANY MEN WHO
DON'T FIND THEIR WAY TO THE
KITCHEN.
KITCHEN. >> WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?
>> MINCEMEAT.
>> MINCEMEAT. >> IS IT MINCEMEAT PIE.
>> IT'S A MATTER OF BOILING THAT
MEAT AND ADDING TO IT.
WHAT DO YOU SMELL?
>> I MEL THE APPLES.
>> AND THERE'S LEMONS AND
ORANGES.
ORANGES. YOU WANT TO HOLD THAT BOWL UP
AND I WOULD SAY ABOUT HALF OF
THAT CAN GO ON IN.
>> HOOK AT THAT.
>> MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD BE PROUD
OF ME SEEING ME DO THIS.
BOY, OH, BOY.
>> SHOULD WE PUT IT DOWN.
>> THE SPIDER?
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. >> IT HAS TO COOK!
>> THIS GOES ON.
GENTLY PUT THE PIE DOWN INTO THE
INSIDE.
INSIDE. SO NOW I'M GOING TO HAVE THE
HEAT FROM THE TOP AND THE BOTTOM
AND THAT PIE WILL TAKE ABOUT 40
MINUTES TO BAKE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THIS HAS BEEN SO FUN.
WE WILL TAKE A LOCK AT SOME OF
THE OTHER THING -- LOOK AT SOME
OF THE THE OTHER THINGS GOING
ON.
ON. >> IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN
MR. HREN.
MR. HREN. >> OKAY.
>> OKAY. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. ¶
¶ >> WELL, WE HAD A GREAT TIME
HERE AT CONNER PRAIRIE.
I HOPE TO SEE YOU HERE TOO.
CONNER PRAIRIE'S OUTDOOR
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