Blast from the Past, the award-winning program for 8 to 12 year olds, conducted by the Marion County Historical Society and sponsored by the Marion Rotary Foundation, is ready to take children back in time to learn about Marion and its rich history.

This free program began nine years ago when the society realized the need to get children involved in history, not the kind that is in a dusty, old textbook, but the kind that tells about the human side of history, the people and their stories.  The story of Marion history is an interesting and exciting tale and the society hopes children can realize the great heritage we have in this area.

Experiencing our Marion past can be great fun through activities that can put the child into another era where he can imagine and see what our forefathers lived through.  If a child is introduced to history in his formative years, he will learn to enjoy history his entire life and use what he has learned to help make the world a better place.

Five different sessions will be held on consecutive Thursdays from July 2 to July 30.  Two identical sessions are offered each day from 9:30 -11:30 a.m. and 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.  In each session children will participate in a learning event complete with hands-on activities, crafts, and refreshments at no cost.

This year sessions include:

• July 2 – “Hard Rock Marion”  Explore rocks, fossils, glaciers, and oceans from the Marion area.
• July 9 – “The Little Red Schoolhouse” –  Experience a schoolday of yesteryear plus recess and games at Linn School.
• July 16 – “Sick Babies, Wolves, and Indians” –  Spend the session at the Seiter log cabin and find how pioneers lived in the 1820’s.
• July 23 – “Up, Up and Away”  -  A visit to the Marion Airport learning about the Wright Brothers and why the Vin Fiz landed in Marion.
• July 30 – “Stories of Those Before” –  Touring the Marion Cemetery, the WWII Memorial, interesting tombstones, and more.

These programs are free to all participants and they are also invited to a “Blast Off Outing” with awards and refreshments on August 6 following the final session of the summer.

Blast from the Past has been recognized by the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums as one of the outstanding programs for children in Ohio.  The program has also been presented the Excellence in Education Award from Phi Delta Kappa citing it for its great educational value in the Marion area.

Because space is limited registration is required.  All sessions are FREE of charge.  To register or for more information call the Marion County Historical Society at 740-387-4255 or go to the website at www.marionhistory.com or e-mail mchs@marionhistory.com