Newsletter - April 2016

APRIL 2016 Volunteer Services JODY THOMAS Volunteer & Intern Manager Phone: 317.776.6000 ext. 264 or Direct: 317.214.4704 jthomas@connerprairie.org PAM WESTERMANN Volunteer & Intern Administrator Phone: 317.776.6000 ext. 258 Direct: 317.214.4471 westermann@connerprairie.org Fax: 317.214.4714 Orienta on for New Volunteers MONDAY, APRIL 11 Conner Prairie Bicentennial Celebrations
In case you hadn’t heard,
Indiana is celebrating its
bicentennial anniversary of
statehood in 2016, and Conner
Prairie has plans to take part in
that celebration. One activity has already
begun, and others are set to take place in the
coming months. Now through December,
Conner Prairie will display an art collection
of paintings and drawings of Indiana
courthouses created by both professional and
amateur artists. The exhibit opened to the
public on January 13 and will showcase the 40
paintings and drawings of county courthouses
through the end of the year. The current
selection will change on May 9 and will
remain up until September 12, when the final
group of paintings is hung.
themselves in interactive, technological
exhibits that explore the questions of the day
as well as how the land was settled, surveyed
and sold.
On July 1, Treetop Outpost opens as a new
outdoor, interactive space that will engage
visitors of all ages and help them explore the
natural materials that make up their world.
The wood and stone four-story treehouse is the
centerpiece of the new venue with diverse
activity areas spread around its base.
The debut of Treetop Outpost also celebrates
the country’s 100th anniversary of the nation’s
parks system. Watch for an invitation to a
special preview day.
Finally on October 13, Indiana’s Bicentennial
Torch Relay travels through Hamilton County
and will make its final stop at Conner Prairie,
Designated an official Indiana Bicentennial
which has been designated a Bicentennial
Legacy Project, the reimagined Conner
Celebration Station. An additional night of
House opened on March 24, providing a fresh
Headless Horseman has been added that
look at history where visitors are invited to
evening (making 12 nights), so we should
imagine themselves as travelers in what once
have a captive audience when the torch stops
was a territory but now is the new state of
here around 5:30pm.
Indiana. Exploring the rooms of the Conner
House now allows visitors to immerse
The next new volunteer orienta on will be Monday, April 11 at 9:30 am in the Volunteer Lounge (second floor of the Welcome Center). Please RSVP to Pam if you plan to a end. WELCOME
to our newest volunteers: Isabel Elizalde
Madelyn Peregrim
Linda Rotert
Terry Ward
Lu Carole West
David Wojtkiewicz
IN THE NEWS Retreat Wrap-Up
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
Finally, we discussed a new procedure being
put into effect. Starting this season, we will
use a form and process for volunteers,
already used for staff out on the grounds
called a conversation sheet. It is exactly what
the name says– just a way to record a
conversation between staff and volunteers.
This is not a disciplinary action form.
If you weren’t at the volunteer retreat on
March 12, you missed a lot of fun and
valuable information. New president and
CEO Norman Burns introduced himself and
told some amusing stories from his “history
in history”, we heard all about the changes to
the Conner House and plans being put in
place for Treetop Outpost. So that there are
no surprises, here is a recap of some of the
important points. Several events have been
cancelled this year due to dwindling
attendance.

Civil War Days, the Lenape Indian
Program and Prairie Holiday will no
longer take place. We will still have the
Civil War School Program in May.

Headless Horseman will run for 12
frightfully delightful nights this year.

There will be new, daily volunteer
positions at Treetop Outpost.
More information is in this newsletter on
what the positions are and how to get
involved.

The event guide distributor position for
Symphony on the Prairie has been
eliminated but a new membership sales
position is being added.

New process: Complimentary general
admission passes earned by volunteering
for certain events will no longer be given
out at event sign-in. Volunteers will
receive an email with the tickets attached
the week following the event, once you
have entered your hours in Volgistics.
This is only for the Conner Prairie
general admission passes. Old passes you
have can still be used.
‐ APRIL ‐ Al Kobilic (4/1) Jennifer Taggart (4/1) Laura Douthi (4/4) Andy Gilmore (4/4) Eriel Etcheson (4/5) Joanna Owens (4/6) When volunteers are out in the many areas of
Conner Prairie performing the huge variety
of tasks that they do, we (the volunteer
department) can’t always be there to see and
hear what is happening. Many times, we’ve
been asked to discuss something that staff
witnessed or heard with a volunteer, weeks
after, which is not helpful for anyone. By
using the conversation sheet, problems can
be addressed and solved immediately. As a
volunteer, you may not realize that you are
saying or doing something that is wrong, and
without being corrected, you may continue to
do it. These forms are to be used for serious
things, not something like being late for a
shift. We don’t expect to see many of them
and neither should you. It is just our way of
knowing that staff is addressing things that
come up when they happen, hopefully
making you, the volunteer, more aware and
confident in what you are doing. If you have
questions or concerns, contact Jody.
Mark Chase (4/12) John O’Donnell (4/13) Daniel Bedwell (4/13)
Richard Krieg (4/16) Yovanka Savich (4/18) Marilynn Edwards (4/21)
Susan Gaston (4/22) Larry Robertson (4/22) Deb Marinaro (4/23) Carl Weissgerber (4/23) Marcia Bogan (4/24) Richard Cohn (4/24) John Mickelson (4/25) Elizabeth Alexander (4/27) Linda Flanagan (4/27) John Lude (4/27) Richard Lyford (4/28) Joy Smith (4/28) John Bengs (4/29) Joan Johnson (4/29) Andrea Ma o (4/29) Lori Guerra (4/30) Volunteer Opportunities
The Conner Prairie Store The store is in need of weekend volunteers for
the 2016 season. Volunteers in the store
interact with guests of all ages, assist with
purchases, ring sales on the computerized
registers, price, and stock merchandise.
Shifts are all four hours long, either morning
or afternoon. For more information or to
volunteer contact:
Exploration Table - this activity will be
similar to the artifact cart but more
experiment based and less artifact ID. Initial
activities this fall will be soil related. Help
will mostly be used for this position on busy
school and other large event days. The exact
location is still TBD. Training will take
place mid-late summer.
Elaine Molin
776-6000 ext. 270
molin@connerprairie.org
If you are interested in volunteering for any
of these positions and want to be contacted
for the trainings, contact:
- OR -
Pam Westermann
776-6000 ext. 258
westermann@connerprairie.org
Becky Brown
776-6000 ext. 272
brown@connerprairie.org
? Ques ons? Contact Jody or Pam.
Symphony on the Prairie Treetop Outpost The following positions will be available
when Treetop Outpost opens in July and after.
These positions are not set in stone and details
could change between now and opening.
This is to give you an idea of what will likely
be needed.
Greeter/Orientation - located near the front
end of the experience, volunteers in this
position will help orient guests to the new
space, letting them know a little more as they
enter. Limited training will take place later
this spring.
Floater - this volunteer will act as an extra
interpreter for this space, helping out wherever
needed, possibly in the craft or activity areas.
Extensive training will be involved, happening
sometime soon.
Symphony on the Prairie (SOP) starts
June 17 but questions are already coming in.
This is THE most popular event for
volunteering. It requires close to 500
volunteer shifts so there should be something
for everyone who wants to volunteer.
SOP shifts will be posted in Volgistics again
this year, sometime in mid-May. As with all
events, everyone with email will receive a
notification once it has been posted. If you
do not have email and want to volunteer for
SOP, notify Jody or Pam early in May and
we will schedule for you. Minor tweaks
could be made to the sign up process this
year but nothing too drastic. The main glitch
last year was that all shifts were filled within
12 hours. We are working now on ways to
solve that problem. Read your May
newsletter closely. There will be more
information about SOP including the
concert schedule, changes or additions to
the volunteer positions and any special
instructions for signing up. Contact Jody or
Pam with questions, concerns or suggestions
on making this another successful Symphony
on the Prairie season.
ARBOR DAY Special Events The following volunteer opportuni es will be posted in Volgis cs. Sign up for your favorite events and programs during the months listed below. You will receive email no fica on when each opportunity has been posted: SIGN UP IN APRIL: Shear Fun! April 30 ‐ May1 Yarn Bombing April 23‐24 Arbor Day April 29 Civil War Days School Program May 19‐20 SIGN UP IN MAY: Curiosity Fair June 11‐12 Symphony on the Prairie June 17‐September 4 SIGN UP IN JUNE: Glorious Fourth July 4 Check back next month for more opportuni es to join the fun. National Volunteer Week
APRIL 10‐16
Pssst...
Did you know? The William Conner House used to serve as the county seat and courthouse, another connec on to the current exhibit of Indiana courthouses. Visit the newly reimagined William Conner House to discover more fun facts! Na onal Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imagina ve ways to engage in their communi es. It’s about demonstra ng to the na on that by working together, we have the for tude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals. THANK YOU for dona ng your me and talents to Conner Prairie.