Something New, Somewhere Old

For the past 4 or 5 years, I have been a member of the staff of the Historic O'Keefe Ranch, located just outside of Vernon, in the rural municipality of Spallumcheen.  This all began when I read through the Help Wanted ads at the end of the summer of 2011, and noticed that O'Keefe Ranch was looking for "mature interpreters."  Since it was more than 25 years since I finished university, I thought that perhaps I might be approaching maturity, so I applied for the job.  Much to my surprise, I started working a few days later.  The first day I shadowed the university students who would be leaving soon; the second day, I was beginning to share the stories on the O'Keefe mansion tours, and by the third day, I was doing tours on my own (shaking in my shoes under my long Victorian skirt).

I quickly grew to love the ranch, the history, and the people.  I happily rejoined the staff the following spring, and cleaned bathrooms, dusted and swept behind the scenes, and cleaned a lot of windows ... all of that made giving tours even more special. I learned the ropes of the General Store tour and could tell about the artifacts for the many school field trips that visited, while selling great quantities of old-fashioned candy. At times I could also be found at the front desk, ringing admissions and purchases into the cash register.

As the years continued, I also began doing the occasional Victorian school lesson, in the little Balmoral schoolhouse, brought to the ranch in the later 20th century to preserve it with other historic buildings.  On their field trips, students visit the school, sit in old desks, learn "the 3 Rs" and practice using a slate and manners from days gone by.  Each part of the ranch added more to my experience and knowledge of its history.

So we come to 2016, as I take up the reins of the School Program and begin to coordinate the field trip visits. The previous school program coordinator had been with the ranch for over 25 years, and her retirement left some big shoes to fill. My "biography" is now on the O'Keefe Ranch website, and since I wrote it myself, I'll share it here as well.

Karen BouchardSchool Program Coordinator 

Karen Bouchard has worked as a historical interpreter at O'Keefe Ranch since 2011, fulfilling childhood dreams of being a historian, linguist, teacher, and writer.  She was born in Vernon, moved around with her parents for 14 years, and returned to live in the Vernon area in 1981. Karen brings her 30+ years of experience as a teacher-on-call in School District 22 to the school program in the Balmoral Schoolhouse.  She has also worked in clerical positions for several non-profit organizations, and sneaks around the ranch offices, trying to proofread materials before they are published.  "Mrs. B" looks forward to the challenge of coordinating the school program, which she knows she will enjoy. "Working at O'Keefe Ranch is my favourite job ever, because I get to dress up in costume and tell stories."

 I began today with enthusiasm, replying to emails from teachers planning their pioneer lessons in the months of May and June.  I've also set up my school program email address, and put all the school tours into a Google calendar, so I can answer emails and set up field trips in the calendar from home, or wherever else I may be.  The next big job will be sending out all the pre-visit materials by mail, but I will take some time to do thisduring the Vernon School District's spring break in March (when I won't be on-call to teach). There are slates and slate pencils to order, souvenir pencils to sharpen, photocopies to make, and contacts to strengthen, both with teachers and with the new BC curriculum.  

I am excited about the next few months and the adventures that will happen along the way.

2015

 2011 - The story begins for a "mature interpreter"

 2012 - Work is never done, for a Victorian housewife.

2014 - Taking part in one of the O'Keefe Ranch famous Murder Mysteries ... as the schoolteacher.