The Kentucky Museum brought Kentucky history to life as a part of their Birthday Bash event on Saturday. 

The Kentucky Museum took part in the fun of the national America 250 celebration with a birthday bash event for the U.S. and Kentucky. Throughout the event, attendants could learn about a large array of Kentucky’s history through demonstrations, performances and interactive activities. 

America 250, culminating on July 4, commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent birth of the United States. It has partnered with organizations across the country to create experiences that celebrate American stories and the United States, according to the America 250 website. 

With the help and funding of the Kentucky Historical Society, the Kentucky Museum has hosted programs for the past four years for America 250. As the day of celebration draws closer and closer, KHS has chosen five museums across the Bluegrass to host birthday bashes on the weekends leading up to a larger one in Frankfort on July 4. 

However, with the Kentucky Museum’s celebration being the first to occur, the museum took the opportunity to commemorate Kentucky’s birthday, June 1, 1792. Taking a family-friendly approach, the museum’s variety of educational and engaging activities recognized Kentucky’s past and culture. 

“It breaks down barriers in people’s minds,” said Brent Bjorkman, director of the Kentucky Museum. “When we live here, we know that it’s a diverse and vibrant kind of place, but to be able to celebrate that and put a period on that, or just to say yes, yes, we are that.” 

From guided tours of the museum’s Appalachian craft and quilt exhibits to being able to play with historical board games, museum goers could learn about and interact with Kentucky history. 

Scott Gilbert, a resident of Allen County, spent the event demonstrating and teaching about the traditional Appalachian basketweaving. Bringing in white oak to make the weaving material, he helped attendants try their hand at using a shaving horse to strip wood for the baskets. 

“People look at a basket and say, well, I could do that,” Gilbert said. “Once you see somebody do it, once you figure out the steps of something, it’s just not hard.” 

Gilbert and his wife have been making baskets for the past 40 years, even owning a basket-making supply shop. They were taught by Lestel and Ollie Childress, fifth-generation basket weavers featured in the Kentucky Museum’s exhibit on southcentral Kentucky basketweaving, “From Many Hands.” 

“This is a wonderful way to keep this tradition alive, because these days we don’t really need baskets, but just like most museums, you need to know how things were done and keep the history alive,” Gilbert said. 

Similarly, Lexington resident Kevin Hardesty did his part to recreate Kentucky history through his dramatic performance about the life of Daniel Boone. Hardesty’s performance came via the Kentucky Chautauqua, a series of performances that teach about the state’s historical icons. 

As part of one of the three performances during the bash, Hardesty donned historical garments and Boone’s pioneer spirit to teach his audience about his impact on the Commonwealth. Doing up to 600 performances embodying Boone, Hardesty’s goals as an artist are to educate, entertain and enlighten. 

“There’s something magic about live theater, that you could reach out and touch someone, you were right there,” Hardesty said. 

Focusing on the latter part of Boone’s life, Hardesty hopes that his dramatization inspires his audience to learn more. 

“People ask questions, and I’m not a historian; sometimes I don’t know the answers,” Hardesty said. “If I don’t know them, hopefully it spurs them to go read a book, or watch a TV show, or a film about him.” 

Alongside the birthday cake and Uncle Sam making balloon animals, Bjorkman wanted the event to tell a story about who Kentucky is in the larger American context. 

“I think everybody who lives anywhere is…proud of their place,” Bjorkman said. “That’s what we help to do, (to) show diversity, show the depth and breadth of things in our particular area.”