Hop on over to Old Independence Regional Museum to celebrate Easter on Saturday, March 30, 2013, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This fun day at the museum will be filled with Easter games and crafts. Admission for this event is free for the entire family, but donations are always appreciated.
Activities will take place in the Southerland Theater and outside, on the museum grounds. Families will be able to participate in an Easter egg roll, spoon and egg relay races, and sack races on the museum’s side lawn. The Easter egg roll is a tradition that started in our nation’s capital. It is thought to have begun sometime during the presidency of Andrew Jackson (1839-1837). Youngsters from the Johnson family dyed eggs on Easter Sunday and rolled them on Easter Monday. This tradition soon turned into a family affair for many in the Washington D.C. area, with the majority of all-day picnics and egg rolling taking place on the Capitol Grounds. The egg rolling moved to the White House grounds in 1878 under the Presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes. Today, the Easter egg roll still takes place at the White House on Easter Monday; however, it is now so popular, you have to enter a lottery to be able to attend.
Visitors will paint egg people on keepsake eggs and dye hard boiled eggs using natural dyes such as onion skins, turmeric, and red cabbage. Visitors will also be able make a simple Easter baskets and tissue paper flowers. A bake sale will be set up featuring Easter treats.
Old Independence serves a 12-county area: Baxter, Cleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Marion, Poinsett, Sharp, Stone, White, and Woodruff. Parts of these present-day counties comprised the original Independence County in 1820s Arkansas territory.
The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is $3.00 for adults, $2.00 for seniors and $1.00 for children. The museum is located at 380 South 9th street, between Boswell and Vine Streets in Batesville. During your visit, stop by our gift shop. We stock many items from local artists, authors, and crafters, as well as historical toys and games.
This humanities program is made possible by local support from Independence County and the City of Batesville, as well as by Challenge Grant Endowment funding from the National Endowment of the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information call (870) 793-2121.
