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Date: August 12, 2009
Contact: Merrith Baughman, 402-223-3514

Pioneer skills will be demonstrated during Labor Day weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the campfire area behind the Education Center at Homestead National Monument of America. Visitors will be offered the opportunity to test their own skills at these pioneer tasks. In addition, the Freeman School, a historic one-room schoolhouse, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Visitors at the Heritage Center can make a cornhusk doll and learn about their significance.

Pioneer survival was based on their resourcefulness and hardwork. Dutch oven cooking and candle-dipping were essential skills to master. Rangers in period dress will show how both of these were done from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 5-7 behind the Education Center. "Labor Day weekend is meant as a time to rest. No one would disagree that the life of a pioneer was difficult, and at Homestead visitors can see how they worked and how they played," said Superintendent Mark Engler.

Homestead National Monument of America is a unit of the National Park Service located four miles west of Beatrice, Nebraska. Current hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Winter hours between Labor Day and Memorial Day are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekends. Admission to all events, exhibits, programs, and displays is free of charge. For additional information, please call 402-223-3514 or visit www.nps.gov/home.