tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post6451765909922232028..comments2024-03-28T04:26:30.557-05:00Comments on Boston 1775: Changes at Colonial WilliamsburgUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-52967296256031239622016-03-21T13:04:54.174-05:002016-03-21T13:04:54.174-05:00It may be hard for a history lover to see these ty...It may be hard for a history lover to see these types of events, but I believe there is a means to an end here. Get the parents excited about a unique experience for their children (trick-or-treat). Once there, now show them your "A" game and demonstrate how fun and educational Williamsburg can be. Because let's face it - History and learning about it sadly has very negative connotations to many people young and old in the US. It's all memorization of dates and events. Putting on the Williamsburg charm may not win them all over, but it will win a good many. And getting a person to fondly remember a childhood experience is probably another generation of return visitors.T. Schwitzgebelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-18705350873780688192016-03-18T21:20:27.065-05:002016-03-18T21:20:27.065-05:00We are having much the same issue here in Michigan...We are having much the same issue here in Michigan with Greenfield Village.<br />It's all about the buck.Historical Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04979801752112100293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-79125585240306161242016-03-18T10:09:59.066-05:002016-03-18T10:09:59.066-05:00King's Dominion is near enough to Williamsburg...King's Dominion is near enough to Williamsburg if a tourist wants a theme park experience, and I hope CW never installs a rollercoaster that is loosely themed on George Wythe's life? While I understand the drive to improve attendance, doing so by being "ish" about history not only misses the mission of continuing to educate about history, but shows a lack of creativity in programming. Can we not have both accuracy and an exciting historical experience (for adults and children) at the same time? I look forward to having more chats about this at the conference in CW this weekend, and to meeting you in person.Karen A. Chasehttp://karenachase.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-36568359641232664752016-03-18T09:56:26.240-05:002016-03-18T09:56:26.240-05:00That's why I appreciated the article including...That's why I appreciated the article including figures for visitors, revenue, and other measures of sustainability. Unless comparable sites are showing even better performance in this economy, they suggest that the current push at Colonial Williamsburg is improving the place's long-term prospects. The counterargument, I suppose, is that if the long-term includes nothing but anachronistic holidays, ghost tours, and skating rinks, it's not worth sustaining as a "historic" site but rather as a theme park with a historic theme. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-17686169469344893032016-03-18T08:14:25.263-05:002016-03-18T08:14:25.263-05:00Mr. Lovely makes an interesting point. I'm pre...Mr. Lovely makes an interesting point. I'm pretty sure that when my mother brought my brother and me to visit CW in the middle '50's, she was not drawn by issues of historic accuracy -- and here I am, visiting frequently, and vigorously considering whether costumed Hallowe'en is an appropriate activity at CW --Chauceriannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-15099838701513775262016-03-17T11:08:38.826-05:002016-03-17T11:08:38.826-05:00Alas, when one has the responsibility for making b...Alas, when one has the responsibility for making budgets and trying to keep an institution afloat, "ish" is not an unworthy goal. G. Lovelynoreply@blogger.com