"NOTHING IS STRONGER THAN THE HEART OF A VOLUNTEER."             James H. Doolittle     Here are some opportunities as a volunteer: Docents - give guided tours (we train) of our outdoor buildings: the Younker Harness Shop, the Volga German Haus, and the new Hays Fire Department Museum. Traveling Demonstrators - take traveling exhibits to clubs, schools, and groups, (we train). These PowerPoint presentations are about thirty minutes long. There can be two people going together - one working the PowerPoint and the other doing the presentation. Archives - volunteers help to preserve the many documents in our collection as well as many new documents that may be important to future generations. The volunteers also help to accomplish the never ending task of indexing and filing these resources for easy access. Special Events - FEBRUARY:  Volunteer Appreciation Banquest.  MAY:  Pioneer Day.  JULY:  Wild Bill Hickok in Hays.  OCTOBER:  Haunted Boot Hill (Boot Hill Cemetery on Halloween night).  DECEMBER:  Christmas Open House. Other Events - We have several Out-of-State Bus Tours that visit Hays; Hays businesses, clubs, etc. that want presentations that we have not planned for yet. Also, Store booths that we set-up at various conventions that at planned during each year. And there are always new events in town during the year, that we decide if we want to participate in or not. PIONEER DAY ~ The second Wednesday in May each year, we host this outdoor event, an opportunity for local school children (K-5 grades) to learn about history, play games, and have fun with our hands-on demonstrations. This event is FREE to the schools and is held from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm. Here are demonstrations that we have done and some new ones added in for this year. Historical Toys and Games (hands-on demo) Gunny Sack Races (3-legged; relay) Music & Games (sing-along with action games) The Care and Grooming of Horses (hands-on) Petting Zoo (hands-on) Goat Milking (hands-on) Alpaca (hands-on)  Tour the Volga German Haus Tour the Harness Shop Tour the Hays Fire Department Museum Cross Bow Sawing (hands-on) Corn Shelling (hands-on) General Store (can purchase items 5 cents- 3 dollars)  Spinning Wheel with Alpaca wool demo Leather demo If any of these appeal to you, or you can demonstrate a historical skill not listed, please contact the museum. We are always looking for more ways to share our local history with the younger generation. If you do not want to be a demonstrator (we train), we can use your help with the set up and tear down of the event. We have had from 700-800 children pre-register for this FREE event each year, we get more every year. If you can help, please contact us. Volunteers that help at this event will receive a free lunch. Christmas Open House ~ 7:00 - 9:00 pm, which is a FREE event for the entire community, we are looking for volunteer musicians to provide entertainment for the visitors as they view our galleries. We need volunteers to provide a large amount of cookies, greet at the lobby door and hand out programs. Also, help at the Stone Church door to assist the musicians to get in and out the door, help with the hayrack rides, keep the refreshment table full, and work in the museum store. You might like to teach a cowboy card game in the saloon or hand out hayrack ride tickets or help kids make crafts in the balcony.  This is an evening event, which is held each year on the first Friday of December. Please plan to arrive around 6:30 pm and leave a little after 9:00 pm. Please call us at (785) 628-2624 between 9:00 am - 6:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday for more information or email visitors@elliscountyhistoricalsociety.org if you would like to volunteer. We appreciate your help very much!  Thank you.