The Quick Version
The Richland Early American Center for History is looking for volunteers to help with events and open houses at South Park.
The group's next public event, American Heritage Days, is scheduled for Oct. 5 and 6, but volunteers are needed year-round.
Interested parties can contact REACH by emailing tgpappas@gmail.com, texting (not calling) 419-564-5097 or sending a Facebook message to the group's page.
MANSFIELD — Kevin Wappner’s fellow volunteers call him the “baby” of the group.
He’s 62.
For 14 years, the volunteers behind the Richland Early American Center for History (REACH) have worked to preserve local history.
They rolled up their sleeves to help reconstruct the Mansfield Blockhouse in South Park. They followed it up by erecting a pre-Civil War cabin, then a blacksmithing forge.
Each year, the group hosts living history events that attract dozens of re-enactors in period costume, where they share their knowledge with the public.
While their passion for history is as strong as ever, REACH’s small, but loyal band of volunteers said they need more help to continue the organization’s work.
“We were all over 60 when we started this thing,” said Tom Pappas, REACH’s vice president. “We’re kind of dying on the vine because we don’t have enough volunteers.”
REACH is asking community members who may be interested in volunteering to get involved.
The group’s next public event, American Heritage Days, is scheduled for Oct. 5 and 6, but volunteers are needed year-round.
Volunteers can help host school groups, open houses and during events like American Heritage Days, Civil War Living History Day and Colonial Living.
“This past event, we were stressed. Cheryl (Rettig) was here, there and everywhere,” he said. “It doesn’t take a whole lot. It’s just a person to be there.”
How you can help
Pappas said volunteering for the group isn’t complicated. There are several ways community volunteers can help, including:
- Being onsite during living history events to direct re-enactors to their stations
- Watching re-enactor’s belongings while they take food or restroom breaks
- Taking pictures during living history events
- Helping with occasional cleaning and maintenance at the South Park cabin, Blockhouse and/or blacksmith forge
- Giving tours to the public during summer open house hours
- Giving tours to school children as requested by local schools
- Basic carpentry and construction of future facilities
Volunteers aren’t required to own or wear period clothing, but Pappas and Rettig said a passion for history helps.
The pair said REACH welcomes volunteers of all ages, from teenagers to retirees.
“Anytime that we get a young person in that wants to learn, (the volunteers) just kind of take them under their wing,” Rettig said.
“It’s kind of neat spending time in a historic cabin,” Rettig said as she sat in the Petersburg Cabin.
Dried herbs hung from the rafters, filling the log building with a sweet, earthy scent. The massive hearth of sandstone fireplace sat empty and open, ready for the chilly days ahead.
“We kind of embellished a little bit with having humongous fireplace. But all in all, the cabin was the average person’s cabin back in the period,” she said. “So if a person kind of gets into that, we would love to have them.”
Interested parties can contact REACH by emailing tgpappas@gmail.com, texting (not calling) 419-564-5097 or sending a Facebook message to the group’s page. They can also fill out this Google form.
Mark your calendars: American Heritage Days returns Oct. 5 and 6
The 8th annual American Heritage Days at South Park runs Oct. 5 and 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The family-friendly event will allow spectators to see what life was like in America in the 1700s and early 1800s.
The event will feature demonstrations of blacksmithing, rope making, games and children’s activities, Native American artifacts and 18th-century dance. There will also be civilian and military reenactments.
Laura Supinger of Making the Past Present will demonstrate 18th century cooking over the cabin’s open hearth.
Benjamin Hoffman of Hoffman Reproductions will be at the Hawks Nest Forge on Saturday doing live blacksmithing demonstrations. Todd Salsburey will be manning the forge on Sunday.
Speakers include:
- Matt Wulff, a collector of 19th-century firearms
- Audrey Newbacher, who will give a brief history of 18th century block printing and its influence on the fashions of the day
- Laura Supinger, who will talk about what it was like to be an 18th century lady, with insights into their jobs, education and laws that impacted them
- Julie Rossington, who will discuss 18th century medicine and midwifery
All Sports Concession The Food Trailer will be onsite. For more information on the event, click here or check out the full event schedule below.
American Heritage Days event schedule
Saturday October 5
10 a.m. Opening Ceremony – Blockhouse Flag Raising, Opening Prayer, Firing of Muskets
Noon 19th Century Firearms with Matt Wulff
12:30 p.m.18th Century Musket Demonstration
1 p.m. 18th Century Fashion: Block Printing with Audrey Newbacher
2 p.m. 18th Century Dance with Erin Sovitzky
2:30 p.m.18th Century Musket Demonstration
4 p.m. Day Concludes
Sunday, October 6, 2024
9 a.m. Prayer Service for Reenactors with Julie Rossington
10 a.m. Day Begins
Noon Out From the Heart with Laura Supinger
12:30 p.m. 18th-century Musket Demonstration
1 p.m. 18th-century Medicine and Midwifery with Julie Rossington
2 p.m. 18th-century Dance with Erin Sovitzky
2:30 p.m. 18th-century Musket Demonstration
4 p.m. Day Concludes
