The Tar Heel Junior Historian Association’s 2008 Annual Convention was held on April 25 at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh.
In a morning ceremony, North Carolina Museum of History director Ken Howard welcomed all THJHA members and their advisers to the convention. After greeting everyone, Jessica Humphries, THJHA program coordinator, announced a roll call of clubs in attendance. This year’s attendance was 725 junior historians, advisers, and family members. The Freaks of History club led convention attendees in singing North Carolina’s state song, “The Old North State.” Following opening remarks, everyone prepared to attend morning workshops.
The 2008 Annual Convention celebrated exploration in North Carolina and our state’s role in World War II. Workshops highlighted article topics from the fall 2007 and spring 2008 Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine issues. Nationally recognized swing dance instructors Chris and Holly Owens showed off their dancing talents and led students in a workshop about the history of swing dancing that included rarely seen movie clips. The Codes and Ciphers workshop gave participants an opportunity to try code busting with museum educator Nancy Pennington. In the Finding Our Way workshop, students made their own compasses from everyday items. Junior historians also learned about the important roles that support troops played during World War II and heard from Millie Dunn Veasey, who was featured in the spring issue of Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine. Students in the Home Front Radio Show workshop experienced what it was like to be part of a radio show during the 1940s. After learning to identify different planes in the Up in the Air! workshop, students played plane-spotter bingo to win prizes. Students in the V Is for Victory workshop made Victory pins to wear. Some junior historians visited the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and learned what has changed and what has remained the same in North Carolina since the first explorers arrived. Doug Meyer demonstrated for students wilderness survival techniques that could have been used by early settlers and explorers in North Carolina and could still be useful today. Members of the 82nd Airborne Living History Detachment modeled World War II uniforms and showed students the types of equipment that soldiers carried.
A delicious lunch was served by Parker’s Barbecue of Wilson. Those who had requested lunch tickets enjoyed barbecue, fried chicken, coleslaw, boiled potatoes, Brunswick stew, corn sticks, sweet tea, and banana pudding.
In the afternoon, everyone convened in the museum lobby to learn who had won the top prizes in the 2008 THJHA contests.
Click on the headings to the left for descriptions and images from the 2008 convention!
