Things That Worked
I am pleased with how the new ribbon shelf worked out. Once on the table and full it looked smaller than it is. I did ened up with more ribbon than I had space. I could easily use a matching one in the display, though I have no idea where I would put it at home.
Btw – When a guest came in with a Doctor Who lanyard, it popped out that the decorative marking on the back of the shelves is in fact Timelord writing.
I liked how the brown storage boxes fit on the shelves this year. It occured to me to turn them sideways in front of the books when I saw they were pushed back last week. I could use one more nesting set or a trio of the smaller ones to fully fill the space.
I made a point to have a new set of hands-on items this year. I kept it simple with a couple small hats and some ribbons. I instantly regretted not bringing a length of straw Saturday morning as I usually do. As the weekend progressed, it turned out not to be a big deal because few people picked them up. That was until nearly the last hour. A family came in with a visually impaired child. I was so happy I brought pieces thaf could be held and explored.
Sigh Room placement. I decided to move the table over in front of the back door that attracts too much attention. I thought this would encourage people to come in because it made the space in the door and to the left bigger. I was wrong. While we felt the breeze from the doors better, people needed to be verbally encouraged to come in. This is a puzzle I need to work on. It may be a color issue or a light issue or something??? else.
I really liked how my last minute sign came out. The cut out letters arrived just barely in time Friday morning. I quickly painted two layers of blue paint that is close but not quite the color of some of my stands. I glued them on and stuck on a weighted board with a fan. Fingers crossed
Ribbon Hanger
I was quite pleased with how the ribbon hanger came out. This was a last minute idea of Lily’s for the blank spot on the empty wall. I put it by the door instead to get a better proportion, with the visually larger fashion plates hanging on the larger wall space. While working on it, I had ideas on how to make it better for next year: ball or finial ends, more ribbons, bows at the joins, a bow arrangement where it hangs.
Then I noticed how many people want to lean on that wall. They would come in the door and lean against the wall. This meant they were leaning sweaty bodies against white walls and silk ribbon.
What ever goes there needs to either be so substantial people don’t feel they can lean there or high enough they don’t lean on the item or simply inexpensive and replaceable. In the past, I have picture a mirror hanging there if I could get the okay.
Concerning
A few things concerned me during the event. I will skip over those not drinking or not watering their children. There were two comments that worried me in general.
“There must have been a lot of war.” and “Oh, that’s a sad song.”
Both comments threw me. The first may have caused a physical double take. This prompted a back to basics explaination of who was who, how long the war was, where battles took place. These are not the things I normally cover. I dawned on me this person had been walking around the event for four or five hours, but just now “asked” for basics.
This makes me think we should consider if events need an introduction tent to prepare people new to this type of event. Think along the lines of the welcome video that was popular at museums in the 90s, only live. The tent could have a few rows of benches or bales and rotating pairs of guides to introduce people to what they are about to see. This would be a space to share basic historical background and a general outline of who is where on the site. I could be wrong. This could be an utter flop. But, if there are people who don’t know there must have been a lot of war, we have to try something.
The second comment surprised me a lot. Taps is usually a moment of stillness and silence for me. This is true whether I am near the battle, at a ceremony, or hear it through a window at home. No talking. No moving. No sewing. Quiet reflection. So, when someone started speaking to me I was surprised. When she commented “oh, that’s a sad song” I realized she hadn’t ever heard it before, let alone understood. I felt a mix of happy for her that she never stood graveside, hearing it played for a family member or friend; sad that she hadn’t attended a community memorial ceremony where it was played. I whispered what it was and how it was used. I think, I hope, she understood from my whisper there was notable significance to it. It may be time to include a short note regarding the significance of Taps on event information sheets.
For Next Year…
I want to tweek the ribbon hanger if I use it again.
While chatting, it came to mind that I need a clock. This is of course a lofty goal.
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
I am with a local preservation society and will spend a weekend at an outreach table. Now and then someone will say something that just floors me with what I would have thought would be common knowledge about the past – even recent past. I think an introduction tent would be a good idea but it must be something clever to hook them in. A lot of people will go comatose when trying to talk about history in any detail.
At the end of every Girl Scout meeting we sang Taps.