Five on Friday: Big Month for The Local History Nerd

Whoever could that nerd be? Spoiler: it's me!

Friday snuck up on me this week and that means you're getting a short, sweet, pic-heavy list today. Why did Friday sneak up on me so hard? It's like asking why it takes me multiple days to answer messages, friends, and it's the same answer: I'M BUSY. I keep trying to say I feel more busy than usual but that's a lie, "more busy" is, at this point, clearly my usual.

I have noticed a distinct theme to what has been occupying me lately, aside from some very exciting soccer playoff games (not even being sarcastic, we've had some real nail-biters!) and that theme revolves around being a local history nerd. 

For example:

1. I was honored to give  a presentation to the local 7th graders on the concept of forced assimilation at Indian Residential Schools:

2. I've been able to support local historical sites with both work and play by:

    a. Volunteering in the ticket booth at for a "haunted mill" fundraiser. Bonus: some of those 7th grade boys stopped by to say hello. One of them said, "Thank you for giving the presentation at our school."

    b. Attending a murder mystery birthday party/fundraiser at a local historical house:

3.  Becoming more involved with (read: going from "I'll help with emails" to somehow finding myself a member of the Board of) a non-profit volunteer group that meets socially once a month and supports the aforementioned historic mill. I adore being in this group and not just because I'm the youngest by decades (or maybe because I do like it, in the sense that I really value intergenerational friendships . . . but I digress) and plan on sharing more about my experiences with them in an upcoming post. Stay tuned.

4. So many little excursions to solve local history mysteries! Or have fun trying, anyway.

5. Last (not really but for this Five on Friday purposes) but most certainly not least, my work partner and I are extremely honored, excited, pleased, stressed and overwhelmed to be presenting for the State Historical Commission's Annual Conference next weekend! Yes, we've known about this honor for months and you can bet we will dazzle our audience. But right now we're in freak-out mode and every spare moment I can find (ha ha ha ha ha) will be spent working on this presentation. It's virtual so if you, too, are a history nerd, local or otherwise, you should check this out:

Registration is open for the 2021 Virtual New Jersey History Conference, We’re Still Here: Indigenous History and Persistence in New Jersey. Join us on November 12-13, 2021 as we explore the history, cultural heritage, and contemporary issues facing diverse Native American communities. To register and learn more, please visit: https://bit.ly/3bLvQvD