Warm weather

 

This week at Debary was nice and sunny. The weather was warm which I was very happy about since I was tired of the cold weather. On Saturday we had a busy day. We had a wedding scheduled, a Lemonade Lecture, and Eco Rangers. When days get busy like this, we split up into groups so cover everything. I went with the Eco Rangers, which is a program for young kids to get them interested in history, preservation, and doing out door activities. For this event, we had a lady from the Florida Public Archaeology Network come and talk about clay, pottery and how we can learn about people and cultures by looking at pieces of broken pottery. She also brought clay with her so that the kids could make their own pots.

Making pots

Some of the tools the kids used



I think this is a great program. Now a days, most kids are interested in their phones or going on computer and they don't go outside much. Through the Echo Rangers, we get the kids interested in preservation and what's around them so they can be more aware. The lady from the Archaeology Network also brought history into the program by tell them about certain groups or tribes and how they would make pots and what they would use them for. I was a little nervous when I was first helping with the program because I don't have a lot of experience with teaching kids, but it went very well. The kids really enjoyed making pots and they also learned about what you can find out by looking at a piece of pottery. I also think its great that we have some of the programs at Debary because it brings in people and they might also want to learn about the site. Even if the event of program doesn't have to do with the site, it still brings attention to the site which is always a good thing.

 

On Tuesday it was a slow day, but still nice. I gave two tours which I can say is getting easier and easier to do lately. I have my own groove and know what to talk about when giving the tour. One of the tours I did had two kids who did not look like they were interested since they had been there before. I took this opportunity to get them involved by asking them questions on different things in the house such as what a bed warmer was, a chamber pot, and also the servants bell. This seemed to help them get through the tour a littler easier and the mom seemed happy that her kids where getting involved. This is important because you want you guest to not only feel like them learned something but also enjoy the tour.

 

Until next time!



Spring time, sunny shine

 

     This week at Debary was fun and full of events. On Saturday Matt and I went do Gemini Springs for the day to participate in the Gate Way Youth Festival of the Arts. It happens every year and a bunch of booths for educational sites, vendors and food come to Gemini Springs. They also have children come and perform for the crowd. We partnered up with Lyonia Conservation and Blue Springs. It was a beautiful day at the spring and a lot of people seemed interested in coming to the site. 

 



Our poster we had displayed at Gemini



View from our spot at Gemini Springs

     
     On Tuesday we had a very busy day ahead of us. Betty, Dorothy and I all had tours before 2PM. At 3pm we had a large group of about 70 people from an church group come and tour the house. This was a great experience for me since I was able to see how to handle large crowds. At first we were going to split the group up into 5 and do separate tour of the house but after much thinking we decided that would be a bad idea since the house would be too crowed. Amber came up with the idea to split up the tour to two, and then have the house open up for people to walk around and while also having us in the house walking around to assistant anyone who had questions. It ran smoothly and the group left with smiles on their faces.

Until next time!

Wedding bells

     This week at DeBary was very interesting. I only went on Saturday since I had a emergency to attend back at home. But even though it was only one day it was an exciting day. There was a wedding at the site and it was my first one that I got to experience and learn how to handle it. It was fairly easy since we don't do anything, we just rent out the space.

     DeBary had become very popular for weddings since the rustic barn look is very in. Just go on Pinterest and you'll see. Although they can not get married inside the house, many choose to get married on the front steps of the house. The bride on saturday decided to get married right outside the theater, since there is a covering just in case it rains. It was a very beautiful ceremony and the couple looked very happy, but I'm not gonna lie, I started to panic when the guest first came. many showed up early and were walking around and I was nervous that someone would try and get into the house or break something. Thankfully that didn't happen, but we kept our eye on the guest to make sure.

     Even though there is a wedding, we still have to operate as a public site and people can still come and tour the house if a wedding is going on. Since the wedding cannot be in the house, we can still do the tour and the wedding can still go on.

     This weekend we don't have a wedding but after we have a wedding every saturday for four weeks if I remember correctly. I'm still continuing on my presentation and powerpoint for my own Lemonade Lecture.

Until next time!

Lets Explore

     This week at DeBary was quite, which is never a bad thing of course. When things are going slow you get to catch up on things that you need to do, which is what I did. I worked on my power point some more for my final project. We only had one tour on Saturday since the weather was not pleasant at all. It was a big group, about 6 so I decided that I would take them to get more experience. They people were great but they did ask questions that I did not know the answer to, such as how many fireplaces are in the house (there is 15 by the way).

     On Saturday morning I got to Debary early again since I wanted to take a trip to Gemini Springs, which is just down the road from the site. It was very quite, not too many people there since it was 8:30 am so most of them were still asleep. The park has not only the springs but also a place that you can fish, trails for walking, and a dob park. I also think people go there to kayak but I can' be positive. Also if you are into camping, they have places that you can set up.

This talks about the Springs a little more 

     The park has two springs and is situated between the town of DeBary and the old town of Enterprise, which was a bustling town back in the day. The 210 acre property was purchased with the combined effort by the County of Volusia, the Trust for Public Lands, the St. Johns River Water Management District, and the Florida Communities Trust in 1994.  There was also some early farming in Gemini Springs in the 1800's that included citrus growing and timber. On the property there is still an old farm house that was believed to be built by John H. Padgett.

      There is no swimming allowed in the springs anymore but that okay, it's still a nice place to just sit and relax and enjoy Florida's beautiful scenery.

Here is the County website to learn more
http://www.volusia.org/services/community-services/parks-recreation-and-culture/parks-and-trails/park-facilities-and-locations/ecological-nature-parks/gemini-springs-park.stml