My fellow interns and I, and the interpretive staff at the park convened at the staff quarters at the Mansion (i.e. the Marsh Place, the Billings House) this morning to discuss the day’s schedule, and review everyone’s tasks.
Although I was not assigned the morning shift for mansion steward, I assisted Sophie and Evana with the set up and preparations for the upcoming tours later that day. It had been nearly a week since I had done some interpretive work, so accompanying Evana and Sophie allowed me (and Evana) to show Sophie which lights to turn on (some of the artifacts in the house mustn’t be illuminated for prolonged periods of time lest they degrade), how to clean the mansion (which entails vacuuming), and how to ventilate the house (it gets toasty!). The instructions for preparing the house were an excellent refresher – I must admit I forgot protocol in two instances.
My first shift was at the National Park kiosk at the Billings Farm and Museum. Appended to that task is the requirement of setting up two traffic cones, which truly is quite simple; but, I fretted a bit about that. However simple the task is, one mustn’t forget how important signals are for drivers. I asked for instructions regarding the placement of traffic cones about three times – one can never be too meticulous, right?
Later, I strolled to the Billings Farm and Museum for my morning shift. I answered visitors’ queries, provided information, managed reservations, and directed visitors to the Billings Farm. By the time I left, I had talked to 113 people, at which point Evana arrived for her afternoon shift at the farm. Then, I went to the Mansion, where after a short break, I prepared for my role as a mansion steward. As the mansion had already been set up, I was tasked with ensuring that the requisite lights were on.