Event opens window into the past

NOT A MAYTAG- Helen Clausing, at right, a Camarillo resident and volunteer with the Pleasant Valley Historical Society Museum, shows, Lissa Zingerman, 13, left; Shannon Santo, 11; and Blake Zingerman, 6, how clothes were washed in the pioneering days during the annual Living History Day at the museum last year. This year's event, which offers a number of activities re-creating how life was lived long ago in Pleasant Valley, will be Sun., May 4 at the museum, 720 Las Posas Road. For more details, call (805) 482-3660.

Long before the advent of mass-produced toys, children used their imaginations to entertain themselves.

Families can experience firsthand the way people lived in the 1700s and 1800s this Saturday at the Pleasant Valley Historical Society's Living History Day.

The free event offers families the chance to make butter from cream, pan for gold and wash clothes on a washboard. Children can make dolls out of cornhusks, toy boats from walnut shells and hats from paper.

"The kids seem to enjoy it," said Liz Daily, a 20-year event volunteer and member of the society's board of directors.

Daily said Living History Day has been popular with families over the years despite taking place on the same weekend as the Strawberry Festival. This year she expects even greater attendance, she said, because the festival occurs on a different weekend.

Living History Day organizers say they designed the event to make learning local history fun.

"I think history tends to be kind of boring when you lecture out of a book," said David Hibbits, society president. "We're trying to make it more interesting."

Paige Hibbits, David's wife and a historical society past president, said the community benefits from the event by learning about its own history.

"I think it contributes to where we're going to go if they know where they've been," she said.

Since 1967, the Pleasant Valley Historical Society's mission has been to preserve local artifacts and educate the community on the rich history of the Pleasant Valley area.

Living History Day is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. Sun., May 4 at the Pleasant Valley Historical Society Museum and Botanical Garden, 720 Las Posas Road, Camarillo.

For more information, call (805) 482-3660.

- Michelle Knight