On the heels of announcing that the Red House Interpretive Center is looking for history buffs to become volunteer docents, staffers at the local historical exhibit are planning for a busy 2009.

Margaret Dement, publicist for the Red House, said plans are being made for every Saturday in 2009.

"We have children's events once a month geared toward elementary students," she said. "They make crafts, bob for apples and learn about spinning and weaving and historical crafts of interest. The conservation campus usually brings some special activity. Barbara Bailey from Marble Hill makes handmade soaps. We have story telling every month; Dean Allison has been with us and done a fabulous job. Kelley Hughes will participate during the year by giving art lessons to children and will bring an exhibit she had on display at the River Campus."

Crowd-pleaser Rose Mary Oxley will return to strum her mountain dulcimer and offer free lessons the first and third Saturdays beginning in April. Oxley insists formal music training is not necessary, although a dulcimer is.

She can advise interested students about obtaining one and can be reached at 334-3689 or strummingrose@charter.net. Class participants will need to purchase an $8 instruction manual.

Heritage Days plans

Dement said special plans are being made for Cape Girardeau Heritage Days scheduled for Oct. 3. The event incorporates other not-for-profit entities in the city, such as the Glenn House, Old St. Vincent's and the River Heritage Museum. Heritage Days will focus on handmade historical crafts.

"We hope to include blacksmiths, quilters and spinning," Dement said. "The River Campus has agreed to participate and to rope off the area to exhibit arts and crafts." The United Methodist Women's group from Grace United Methodist Church have women who quilt, knit, crochet, hand sew and are likely to bring a display from their pumpkin patch.

Oxley, who dresses in period costume and plays music, will also be part of Heritage Days.

"You sit back and see the river and enjoy the beauty of the Red House, and it's like you're back in 1803. That's the magic of the Red House," Dement said.

Red House history

The Red House Interpretive Center houses an early 1800s exhibit that reflects the lives of the early settlers of the Old Cape Girardeau District. In addition, a recreation of community founder, Louis Lorimier's trading post displays authentic items that would have been sold during the period.

The Red House was finished in 2003 as part of the national bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition. It is a certified Lewis and Clark Trail site and a Missouri Legacy Project. Dement painted the 250-foot mural behind the building and is involved in moving the museum toward becoming part of the National Park Service.

"We are working very closely with Jo Ann Emerson to move that forward. We want the public to be able to go from Washington all the way out to where the expedition stopped, including through Cape Girardeau," she said.

Historical crafters interested in exhibiting during the season or during Heritage Days should contact Dement at 334-6954.

Search for docents

As for the docents, the Red House is looking for history buffs who might be able to volunteer on Saturdays, dress in period costumes, lead tours and share history with visitors. The time demands for training and volunteering are minimal, especially because the training is self-initiated, Dement said.

"We have videos and scripts people can take with them to help learn to tell the stories of what happened when Lorimier lived in the home and Lewis and Clark came through," she said.

"Docents meet once a month April through November. We need docents dressed in period costumes every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Last summer we were open every day of the week, but this year's schedule is still waiting to be determined, depending on how much money we receive.

"There is a recognition ceremony for volunteers in December. January through March the museum is closed except for special tours scheduled through the [Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau], and this time is used for planning and updating the exhibits."

People interested in serving as docents should contact docent coordinator Anne Hutson at 335-5846 or j.hutson@charter.net.