The Orator Universal Education

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1 264 Governor Aycock Road Fremont, NC Phone: Fax: Hours of Operation Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday Site Staff Leigh Strickland Site Manager Erica Smith Historic Interpreter Larry Barnes Site Assistant Rachel Kennedy Part-time Staff The Orator Universal Education Volume, XXX II Issue, 3 Fall/ Winter Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site Christmas at Aycock Birthplace What a December! Between the Christmas Candlelight tours and our new Cookies & Canes program, we have been busy! This year s Christmas Candlelight Tours took place on December 8th and 10th and were very well attended. On the first night of the tour, the Primitive Baptist Singers entertained audiences with there unique style of acapella singing. The Harmony Boys Bluegrass Group entertained on Thursday night and had visitors singing along to popular Christmas tunes. The Christmas Candlelight Tour gives visitors an insight into what Christmas would have been like back in the 19th century. Many of our favorite Christmas traditions became popular during this period. For example, the Christmas tree surpasses the stocking as the most popular Christmas tradition. The Christmas tree became popular thanks to German Prince Billy Sanders and Hannah Price passing out warm apple cider on a very cold night! The Orator Editor Erica Smith Check us out on the site s Facebook page! pages/governor-charles-b- Aycock- Birthplace/ Albert who introduced the first Christmas tree to Windsor Castle in the1840s. Another favorite Christmas tradition, the reading of Clement Moore s poem, A Visit from Saint Nicholas, or better known as Twas the Night Before Christmas, was published in We would like to thank everyone that came out to our Christmas Candlelight Tours program this year. An a special thank you to all who helped with this event! We could not have done this program without you! Mrs. Joyce Pierce preparing the Christmas feast! Page 1

2 Manager s Report As you can see by the many photos in this edition of our newsletter, we are branching out and trying new programs while at the same time continuing established ones. The first new program, held in October, was our Rootin Tootin Halloween event. The second new program, Cookies and Canes, was held on December 19. Both programs were very successful, and hopefully will become annual events. As for our established programs, the annual Christmas Candlelight Tours was held on December 8 and 10. During both evenings visitors participated in the shadow play, learned about 19 th century Christmas traditions from costumed interpreters, viewed an open hearth cooking demonstration, and sampled hot apple cider. The next program was an open hearth cooking program. School groups viewed an open hearth cooking demonstration and took a tour of the historic buildings. Many of you probably remember that in the spring of 2015 we started beekeeping. So far, this venture is going well. We harvested about 30 pints of honey in early fall and sold it in the site gift shop. Future plans are to develop an interpretive beekeeping program. Each year the Dr. B.T. Person Camp #1517 (SCV) performs a community service project. This year they chose Aycock Birthplace for their project. The group came out on a warm October Saturday and worked to improve the landscaping that borders the visitor center walkway. They removed monkey grass, ivy and juniper and replaced it with rye grass. We appreciate their hard work to help improve the appearance of our site! Finally, we would like to recognize the following individuals for their support of Aycock Birthplace: Supporter Sally Aycock Edmondson Associate Mr. & Mrs. Marion B. Chase Charles A. Aycock Audrey Brow William D. Poe, Jr Burt Aycock, Jr. Jane C. Aycock Mr. & Mrs. James C. Ginn, II Dan Shackleford Sonia Aycock Jesse & Norma Blackman John L. Wiggins Jane Hamm Velma Aycock Langley Charlotte Campbell H. Lamont Whitley David & Laura Newsome Page 2

3 Congratulations to Mrs. Joyce Pierce Our 2015 Blue Ribbon Volunteer!! Mrs. Joyce has been helping at the Site for almost 20 years. She has trained countless staff and new volunteers and we would truly be lost without her. Thank you for all you do! Aycock Birthplace, would not be able to have all the programs and living history events without the help of our volunteers. Thank you for all you do for our site! This photo was taken at our 2015 Volunteer Appreciation Banquet. It was held in September and was catered by Danny Ray s in Pikeville. Congratulations to Mrs. Barbara Bolding of Fremont, The winner of our Cozy Quilt raffle! Page 3

4 A Rootin Tootin Success The Rootin Tootin Halloween Program was a huge success. This was the first time an event like this has ever been held here at Aycock Birthplace and we were very pleased at the number of people who attended the event. Visitors had the opportunity to make a corn husk doll, paint a pumpkin, enjoy a hayride around the site, and make a candle. A big thank you to all the volunteers that helped with this event and to all who decorated there trunks, and handed out candy. We would also like to thank McDonalds for donating prizes, which were given out to all the children that participated in the event, and A.J. Smith & Sons for donating that pumpkins used during this event. Pictures from our 2015 Rootin Tootin Halloween Program. Page 4

5 Photos from the 2015 Christmas Candlelight Tour Thank you to everyone that came out to support our site! Page 5

6 A New Christmas Tradition This past December Aycock Birthplace held its first kids workshop, entitled Cookies & Canes. At this workshop children learned the history behind some of there favorite Christmas traditions. They made a paper ornament similar to the ones made in the 19th century, heard tales from the North Pole from our special guest, Mrs. Claus, made a corn husk doll ornament, and then decorated a gingerbread man using candy available during the late 1800s. Overall the program was a success with about 20 kids participating. Thank you to everyone that came to this event, and a special thank you to all the volunteers that helped, without which this event would not have been possible. Photos from our 2015 Cookies and Canes Christmas Program Page 6

7 $$ January 16, from 10:00-11:30 - Quilling Workshop Quilling is the art form of rolling, folding, and gluing paper strips together to form a design Cost is $10.00 per person. Pre-registration is required $$ Six-week Quilting Workshop starting Saturday January 23 at 10:00 Learn the process of modern quilt making and make your own quilt. Cost is $30 per person, plus the cost of supplies. Pre-registration is required $$ February 13, from 2:00-4:00 Join Staff as we take a look at 19th century Valentines Day traditions. Then enjoy a 19th century tea part y. Cost is $10.00, pre-registration is required. Living History Wednesday s Living History Wednesday s have a $2.00 per person fee. Pre-registration is recommended. $$ March 16 Spinning and Quilting $$ March 23 Open Hearth Cooking and Candle Making $$ April 13 School Marm, Quill pen and ink writing, And Townball $$ May 4 Spinning and Natural Dying March 12, from 1:00-3:00, Let s Go Fly a Kite What better way to spend a Saturday, than flying a kite! Admission is free. March 17 Daffodil Open House First grade students from Fremont are invited to come and see living history demonstrations and see what life in Fremont would have been like in the 1870s. April 18, 19, 21, 22 Farm Heritage Week Fourth grade students from Wayne County are invited to come and see living history demonstrations and experience life on the farm in the 1870s. $$ May 21 from 1:00-3:00 Learn about Spring Time on the farm and enjoy 19th century toys and games. Saturday on the Farm Date and time TBA Featuring the Vintage Farm Equip. Club, the Beekeepers of the Neuse and the Master Gardners. Admission is free. $$ June from 9-12 Summer Fun Camp Each day campers will learn something new about farm life in 19th Century North Carolina Pre-registration is Required. Events marked with $$ are paid events. For more information on these and any other upcoming events, check us out on Facebook at The Orator is published by the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace Advisory Committee, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site. The newsletter is published biannually and is available free of charge. To receive this publication, please call (919) or aycock@ncdcr.gov. The Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site is an agency within the Historic Sites Division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Page 7

8 Need a place to host a wedding, special event or photo shoot? Aycock Birthplace is a great location! For more information please contact Event Coordinator, Erica Smith at or erica.smith@ncdcr.gov Aycock Birthplace is always looking for new volunteers to give tours and assist with events. If interested in becoming a volunteer, please call Erica Smith at or erica.smith@ncdcr.gov The Orator Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace Advisory Committee 264 Governor Aycock Road Fremont, NC Page 8