Kentucky Historical Society
Kentucky Junior Historians Convene in Frankfort

 
Frankfort, KY - More than 500 student historians are headed to Frankfort for the forty-sixth annual Kentucky Junior Historical Society convention. Students from every corner of the commonwealth in grades K-12 have prepared projects in categories including historical exhibit, genealogical research, photography, performance, and art. Other competitions, including the fast-paced Kentucky History Bowl, a quick-recall academic competition focusing on Kentucky history, will be held during the convention Thursday through Saturday, March 27-29, at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History and the Frankfort Convention Center.

"These students are learning an appreciation for our state's history," says Kent Whitworth, executive director of the Kentucky Historical Society. "By researching a topic important to them, they are finding connections to the past, perspective on the present, and inspiration for the future."

Friday night's feature program will be the Heritage Hoedowners, a group of KJHS club members from Carter County. The Heritage Hoedowners are composed of 18 students in grades 3-7 who perform Appalachian dance and music. Convention attendees will hear bluegrass songs like "Pretty Polly," "In the Pines," and "Man of Constant Sorrow." The Hoedowners also sing country songs, including Tom T. Hall's "Harper Valley PTA" and Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miner's Daughter." Clogging, mountain square dance, and western square dance are also part of the show.

Other convention activities will include hands-on activities and museum theatre presentations at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History; tours of Liberty Hall Historic Site, the Old State Capitol, the KHS HistoryMobile's exhibit "Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln;" and a scavenger hunt in downtown Frankfort.

For more information about the KJHS Convention or how to become a member of the Kentucky Junior Historical Society, contact Rebecca Hanly at 502-564-1792, ext. 4475; Kate Hesseldenz, 502-564-1792, ext. 4477; or visit our Web site.

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An agency of the Kentucky Commerce Cabinet, the Kentucky Historical Society, since 1836, has provided connections to the past, perspective on the present, and inspiration for the future. KHS operates the Old State Capitol, the Kentucky Military History Museum, and its headquarters, the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. Since 1999, the thirty-million- dollar Center has welcomed more than one million visitors. For more information about the Kentucky Historical Society and its programs, visit the Web site.