Hands on History event set for Saturday

Havre Daily News/Nikki Carlson, file photo

Edie Jones, second from left, and Sarah Jones, second from right, of Sunshine Cleaning Inc. teach Mick Chagnon, left, and Josh Robart how to scrub clothes during the Hands on History event at the Holiday Village Mall in April 2010.

Local residents can get a hands-on feel for what life was like for Montana pioneers this weekend with the annual Hands on History event set for Saturday at the Holiday Village Mall.

More than 30 events — with strong local sponsorship making 10 of them available at no charge — will be offered at the fundraiser.

Proceeds from the event go to fund the operations of the H. Earl and Margaret Turner Clack Memorial Museum and the Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump.

Several new activities are being offered this year, including how to pan for gold, learning to brand, making wheat gum, participating in a formal 1880 tea room, riding a velocipede and a mess tent featuring Dutch oven cooking.

Some of the other activities include making ice cream; throwing an atlatl, which uses a handle to throw a long dart; cooking bison meat using the ancient stone-boiling technique; watching a chicken hatching and learning how to candle an egg; making a clothes-pin doll house; riding a horse; making a puppet; learning how to tool leather; driving a "kid-powered" go-cart; and making a candle.

Where appropriate, children will be able to take what they make home.

Free demonstrations will be held at the mall throughout the day, including Native American dancing, and performances by the Shooting Star Gymnastics dancers, barbershop singers, and the Eddie Fallo Band. Participants in the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line talent show also are tentatively scheduled to perform.

The event is set to run from 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. Tickets are three for $1, with some activities requiring more than one ticket.

For more information, people can call Anna Brumley at 265-6417 or Elaine Morse at 265-1376.