Grandma Curtis (Permelia Hubbard Curtis), paternal grandmother of the little Indian boy who would become Vice President of the United States. Portrayed by Kitty Frank.
Charles was raised by his grandmothers; one who could trace her lineage to the 1832 landing of the Good Ship Elizabeth on the shores of New England. The other traced her lineage to Chief White Hair (Pawhuska) of the Osage People and Chief White Plume of the Kanza (Kaw) people. Which life would Charlie choose?
Performances are available for booking. Very reasonable rates.
"FROM MISSIONARY TO MURDER: A VISIT WITH THE JOHNSON'S"
On the lawn at the Tennant-Baker House
Historical Interpreters George and Diane Bernheimer bring their imaginative presentation in the personas of the Reverend Thomas and Sarah Johnson to the Tennant-Baker House in Troy on June 30, at 6:30pm. The Johnson's, married in Missouri just before Thomas' assignment as a missionary to the Shawnee Indians in 1830, would begin to raise a family in relative peace on the western frontier before being taken up in church schism, the politics of "Bleeding Kansas", and family tragedy in the Civil War.
The Bernheimer's are independent historical researchers living in Topeka, Kansas. First becoming involved in Civil War research and reenacting in 1995, they later developed a keen interest in the people and times of the Kansas Territorial era of 1854 to 1861. George says that "we research and introduce our audiences to usually lesser known individuals of our history that had an impact in their time. The Johnson's are an example. You're likely familiar with the name, but you're not sure why." The Bernheimer's are members of the Kansas Alliance of Professional Historic Performers, Volunteers In Parks (National Park Service), and the Shawnee County Historical Society. George is the current Vice President of the SCHS and Diane serves on the board of the Blackjack Battlefield and Nature Park.
Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and join us for an evening of entertaining history on the lawn of the Tennant-Baker House on the Square in Troy.Special thanks to the Historical Society for letting us use the space. For additional information call Becky Etherton, Library District #1 Doniphan, Co at 785 985-2597.
George and Diane Bernheimer - LvngHstry.org will be performing at the Grinter House Historic Site ( http://www.kshs.org/grinter_place ) as Hiero and Elizabeth Wilson in their presentation "From Frontier Post to Thriving Community". The presentation gives an account of the Wilson's life in Fort Scott, Kansas, a town which had its beginnings as an army post on the western frontier on what was then the western edge of the United States . Their story continues through the turbulent times of "Bleeding Kansas" when Fort Scott had been abandoned by the army and transitioned into a civilian community, and into its rebirth as a military center during the Civil War. The presentation which will begin at 11:00am , is being presented as part of the Grinter Place "Saturdays by the Stove" series, is free and open to the public.
-- George W. & Diane Bernheimer LvngHstry www.lvnghstry.org ~ Bringing the People of Our Past into the Present "A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joh n Adams, 1817
Several members of the Alliance of Professional Historical Performers gathered in Admire, Kansas last weekend to listen and counsel as two aspiring performers brought their stories for critique.
Great learning session for all! We wish these two new performers the best as they work on adding material and defining their context to be ready to join the alliance.
Ever wondered how you could get involved in historical performance? You're in luck!
It turns out there is a manual, written by Dr. Joyce M. Thierer of Ride into History. Learn what sets historical performance and first person narrative apart from others. Learn the story of the frustrating event that led Dr. Thierer to create her first character performance; Calamity Jane.
A brand new character will debut this weekend in Admire, Kansas!
Dr. Joyce Thierer will perform on Sunday, September 13th on their homestead place. There is no admission charge. Dinner will be served afterwards. Donations accepted to benefit the Ride Into History Cultural Education Project with provides youth history camps each summer.
The Orchestra on the Oregon Trail Event is coming soon. Get your tickets before they sell out!
Here is a listing of the historical performances leading up to the main event which is a performance by the Topeka Symphony Orchestra. We will be in the "Humanities Meadow" throughout the afternoon.
Don Welborn, Cowboy Poet
Leslie D. Vilda, Historical Interpreter
Jan Pope as Sarah Keyes (a member of the Donner party who was buried at Alcove Springs)
Steve McPhail as Johnny Appleseed
George and Diane Bernheimer as Reverend Thomas and Sarah Johnson
A photo walk with Scott Bean
Dr. Joyce Thierer as "Grower", a woman of the Earth Lodge People
and of course, me as Kittie Hays.
Come spend the day in a beautiful setting you may never have seen before, with many choices of entertainment all packed into an exciting local event.
For me, that is. I'll be performing three times on Sunday - small snippets from Kittie Hays' life as the adopted daughter of Seth Hays, trader on the Santa Fe Trail.
Kittie performs at:
10:45 am
12:30 pm
2:15 pm
Sunday, May 3rd at Wamego, Kansas at the Kansas Sampler Festival.
