Main Idea: An introduction to the Adirondack Experience and the staff of the School Programs Dept.
Introductory Segment
Welcome to the first episode of ADKXtra Credit. A podcast brought to you from the Adirondack Experience; the museum on Blue Mountain Lake. We are located in the center of the Adirondack Park in northern New York State. ADKXtra Credit is produced by the School Programs Dept. We provide programming for schools and students in the twelve counties that are part of the Park. We visit schools and schools visit our museum. And now, with this podcast we will be able to share more about Adirondack history.
Today we are going to introduce you to the Adk Park, the museum, and the people in the School Programs Dept.
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CONTENT
(Diane)The Adirondack Park is a 6 million acre forest preserve in the northern region of New York State. 6 million acres is really, really big. The Adirondack park is bigger than some states. In fact, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Delaware could all fit inside the Adirondack Park!
It’s a mountainous region created by glaciers and millions of years of erosion. In addition to mountains there are many, many lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. But, even though the Park is called “forever wild”, there are also 102 towns and villages. Over 100,000 people live here all year round. There are businesses and schools and homes. Even more people, almost another 200,000, have second homes here. Houses that they visit for vacations or for only small parts of the year, mostly in the summer.
Because we are so far north the winters are cold and snowy. Many people refer to the Adirondacks as The North Country.
In the center of all this is the Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake. That is where we are recording this podcast. My name is DC and I am the School Programs Coordinator. I help teachers plan field trips and visits from our Educators. We visit schools in the Park and in the towns and cities just outside the Park. I also create programs and other things, like this podcast, that teach students about the history of the Adirondacks.
The Adirondack Experience (or the ADKX as we like to call it) is a regional museum. We tell the story of this area. The ADKX collects artifacts, those are objects from the past, and we find out the stories and information about those artifacts and the people that used them. The ADKX also has thousands of photographs of the people, events, and places of the Adirondack Park. It is our mission to teach people about the history of the Adirondack park, both about its people and the wilderness that we enjoy.
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(Diane)My co-host for ADKXtra Credit is Taylor Ewald.
(Taylor) Hi, my name is Taylor, and I work in the Education Dept. w/ Diane as an Outreach Educator here at the Adirondack Experience. I’ve traveled to schools all over the Adirondacks teaching students about Adirondack history. I love history and working with kids which makes this job the perfect combination oft he things I am passionate about.
(Diane) Is there something that really excited you about ADK history?
(Taylor) I really enjoy teaching students about the early settlement of the Adirondacks in the 1800s. It’s fascinating to study what initially brought people up to the area and what they did in order to live, work, or play here.
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Christine Campeau is the School Programs Manager here at the Adirondack Experience. Hello Christine.
Hello, diane.
Tell us about the ADKX. What is it? Why is it here?
(Christine): The Adirondack Park is a very special place. And the ADKX helps us all understand and appreciate what a special place the Adirondack Park is! Our exhibits and collections tell the stories of the people who have lived, worked, and played among these mountains, forests and waters. And we continue to tell the stories of how people today enjoy living in and visiting the wilderness. We bring these stories to students all around the region in the programs we offer here at the museum, at your schools, and remotely like through this podcast!
Diane: Do you have a favorite exhibition? A favorite piece of history?
Christine: It is so hard to pick my favorite exhibit! There are just so many cool things! I do love the lean-to camping scene in the Woods and Waters exhibit, and I love the dangers and thrills of the logging industry in the Work in the Woods exhibit. I also just enjoy walking around our big, beautiful grounds and seeing flowers, trees, and the occasional wild animal!
Diane: I love that too. You also teach a lot of our programs. Is there one that you like best?
Christine: My favorite program to lead is the Balsam Traditions class we do here in December. When students get to visit when the museum is closed and the grounds are blanketed with snow; we have fun identifying trees and using a really old sewing machine to make a balsam bag.
Diane: That is a great program. An upcoming podcast will tell you more about Balsam Traditions.
Thank you Christine. I’m definitely going to ask you to join us again for future podcasts.
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Thank you for joining us. We will be back with new episodes every two weeks. Join us and learn more about this area of NYS.
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