Up to Their Elbows in Local History

WALLA WALLA - Fifty Camp Fire girls and boys were down on their knees and up to their elbows in dirt at the Kirkman House Museum, carefully digging for buried treasures. With brushes and fine tools - no shovels allowed - they carefully excavated a part of the museum's garden to discover objects that might have been buried there over 100 years ago.

This "dig" was just one of many activities the Camp Fire kids enjoyed at the first day of Kirkman House's three-day "Hands on History" program. The theme of the Monday, July 8 event was "Discovering the Past." On July 15, the theme was "Victorian Pastimes." The final event on Au- gust 5 will be "Weaving."

The goal of "Hands on History" is to bring the Victorian Era to life for lo- cal children through three days of activities includ- ing an archaeological dig, introduction to the historic games of hopscotch and marbles, readings from a Victorian author, and an examination of Victori- an inventions. In keeping with the event's "hands-on" theme, the children make Victorian postage stamps, chalk, marbles, and keep- sake scrapbooks.