Gold Rush Days!

First I am posting pictures of how I converted a 1970's prom dress into an 1850's dress.  They have very similar silhouettes, most people thought I made the dress.  : )

This is the dress before, besides the bottom half of the right sleeve, I had already started cutting off:

Gold Rush Days:  My sister gold-panning.  :)

This is the woman I was volunteering with, Cindy, and her grand-daughter, Skylar.  They were both so sweet.  Skylar and I were able to be in a reenactment of Lincoln's funeral procession.  Apparently when Lincoln was assassinated all across the country Union States (California included, obviously) held  reenactments of his funeral to honor him.  So, in essence I was in a reenactment of a reenactment!  : )  We also got to ride in a stage coach together, which was really fun!

Our booth was kids games and crafts from the Gold Rush Era.  We helped them make button-whizzers, buttons on a loop of string, that are wound and unwind, then wind up again, like a yo-yo, but horizontal.  We also made corn-husk dolls and thaumatropes which are two pictures, we used a bird and a cage and also a cannon and a cannon ball.  You glue one picture upside down to the other and attach them together with yarn.  The concept is like a flip-book, as you spin the pictures over and over the bird looks like it is in the cage and the cannon looks like it is shooting off a cannon ball.  Lots of good activities for me to take into the classroom!  : )

 The train museum, so cool!

 Nancy and RJ not looking.  oops.

 Now Papa not looking, but they are, so had to put both!  haha!

 Watching the men set off the cannon!  SOOO LOUD!

 Uncle Sam!

Gold Rush Days was sooo fun, and I am looking forward to doing it again next year!