Pony Express Museum hosts free family day

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The Pony Express National Museum invited the community to celebrate "Family Day," an event for the whole family to enjoy, while kids may be out of school for the President's Day holiday.

Resident and visitor Brittany Baer said she first came to Family Day two years ago and had such a great experience that she knew she wanted to come back.  

“So when we came two years ago, the kids loved making race carts with the woodworkers and this year they are loving doing the woodworking and the bead necklaces and the quilters,” Baer said.  

So far, Baer and her kids have mostly stuck to woodworking and bead necklace making, but she said they’re hoping to spend more time exploring the trail maze before the day ends.  

For Baer, one of the best parts of the event is how hands-on everything is — not just for the kids, but for parents too.  

“Love how everyone is helping the kids learn because these are some of the experiences that I can’t just provide on my own, so I love how the community comes together to provide these resources,” Baer said.  

Cecelia Harker, another visitor and a homeschooling mom, said she brought her children because she saw it as the perfect mix of fun and education.  

Having attended last year, she wanted to come back yet again.   

“I also have a deeper connection to the Pony Express Museum because I have always loved history and always loved learning about it and experiencing different things and different things to do with the family,” Harkar said.  

Her family especially enjoyed the interactive exhibits — touching the telegraph machine, pumping water from the well and climbing into the wagon to peek inside.  

Harker said they came with friends, hoping to enjoy the day together while giving their children a chance to learn something new.  

“I have a four-year-old, a two-year-old and a six-month-old and the four-year-old seems to be picking up more things, so she is like ‘oh what’s that’ and I am like let me tell you,” Harkar said.  

She added that events like this are perfect for families, especially on a school day off, because they offer hands-on learning that keeps kids engaged and productive.  

T.J. Peacher, one of the presenters at Family Day, decided to demonstrate how to make candles out of deer tallow, tying his presentation into the broader historical theme of the event.  

“I am also talking about other products that people can make out of a deer and how the settlers did and how the indigenous people did it and I thought that was kind of cool since you can make body butter, fire starters, leather, fur out of the rest of the deer,” Peacher said.  

Peacher said his favorite part of presenting at the museum is interacting with the kids.  

Although this was his first time presenting at the museum, he’s led deer tallow workshops before through programs run by the Missouri Department of Conservation.  

“This was one time we got to come down here and take part the festivities here and I think it's pretty complimentary with the kids being so excited to take part in the demonstration,” Peacher added.  

Peacher encouraged more families to attend events like this in the future, highlighting the new displays added just for the occasion — and plenty of food to make sure no one leaves hungry.